


Life Is Too Short

by the_eye_of_the_panda



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, High School, Humor, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:41:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27982476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_eye_of_the_panda/pseuds/the_eye_of_the_panda
Summary: It was only when he saw her again that he knew, he just knew - and everything made sense again. But Gohan won't impose his feelings on Videl, he wants to give her time, and he's determined to respect her decision no matter what happens. The thing is, what he's set his mind on and what he ends up doing don't quite match sometimes.
Relationships: Videl Satan & Son Gohan, Videl Satan/Son Gohan
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: It Feels Familiar

* * *

The chilly autumn wind had never felt so invigorating. It whipped at her face, rustled her clothes and swept her fringe across her forehead as she soared through the night sky. A perpetual smile seemed to be glued on her lips while her eyes darted everywhere around, blue orbs taking in everything they could, from the changing scenery below to the thousands of stars twinkling brightly from above.

She used to hate the shudder that came whenever a cool breeze would touch her skin. Like most people, she would rather snuggle up in a warm blanket than go out and face the cold. Right now however, she was truly enjoying herself and even welcomed the goosebumps gathering under her sleeves. Old sensations that she'd long forgotten rushed through her, reminding her of when she was a kid. She would run as fast as she could until she would feel the wind pricking her eyes and whistling in her ears; yet it clashed with the new found experience of flying through the clouds.

She felt light as a feather, defying the laws of gravity as she summoned more energy to speed up above the grassy fields. The city wasn't much farther now, she could tell. The girl was still getting used to this new ability of sensing people's life force, but even with her inexperience the mass of _ki_ 's coming from the distance was unmistakable.

The grin plastered across her face was starting to hurt her cheeks, but the raven-haired teen was simply too happy to care. She couldn't wait to get home and see her father again.

Home. After all this time, she was actually going back home. She missed everyone so much...! her dad, her closest friends, her _whole life_. While the past months had been quite instructive and interesting, to say the least, she couldn't be more excited to be back and see everyone again. She chuckled to herself, picturing the looks they'd have when they see her. It was going to be priceless!

City lights appeared from afar: yellow, red, orange and white shone from the distance, much like the way the stars were sparkling above her. As she got closer, buildings began to take form and the street noises were getting louder and louder, the familiar hum bringing her a sense of security. Her grin widened, if possible, when she caught sight of the big 'welcome' signboard, her father's image greeting her with his trademark peace sign. She couldn't wait to actually see him again!

Slowing down, the young female fighter soon landed in front of the big sign, smiling up at her old man's picture. Her eyes clouded with nostalgia in that moment, watching his proud pose some more. She really did miss him. As annoying as he could be at times, and even after finding out the questionable things he'd done, he was her father and she loved him with all of her heart. She was aware that she would have a lot of explaining to do when she saw him, too... The prospect wasn't one she looked forwards to, and as she started walking into the city, the girl was getting more and more nervous about what she would have to tell him. Her eyes wandered around the familiar streets, distractedly observing the people going about their lives, the shops, the restaurants, the cars on the road, the buildings... But her mind wasn't much into it anymore.

She had no idea where to begin. Would he even _believe_ her at all? Even she was still trying to come to terms with everything that had happened the past months... She couldn't tell if _she_ would have believed the story if someone else were to tell her, really. Letting out a sigh, she dug her hands in her pockets as she strolled quietly through a narrow street, taking her usual route home; her earlier euphoria had slowly faded down, leaving the girl to deal with the reality of her situation.

What she disliked most about it all would be lying about it to her closest friends. She'd always detested lies and dishonesty, but she understood now that it was necessary to keep quiet about some truths.

It was kind of ironic, her having to keep secrets from her friends, when she'd always been more or less suspicious ofone of her closest friends because of that very same reason. The corners of her lips tugged upward in an amused smile as she thought about the spiky haired boy in question. His reaction to seeing her was definitely one that she looked forward to the most. At least to him, she wouldn't need to lie. She was glad for that.

An enormous mansion came into view, and the petite girl stopped walking as she reached the gates. She took a few moments to gaze upon the luxurious manor she called home, taking in the impressive sight of it. Reaching behind her skull, she tightened her ponytail, then arranged her fringe, straightened her clothes, and took a deep breath, readying herself for what was to come.

She pressed the button on the intercom and waited. Unsurprisingly, a butler answered the call almost immediately. She knew that there was a security camera filming her so she purposely looked at it, giving a nervous smile as she waved.

She was met with stunned silence, which was not unexpected. Sighing softly, she leaned over to speak into the microphone.

"Um, this is Videl. Is my father home?"

* * *

An invite to yet another charity event, some requests for dumb commercials, gift tickets for some sport event to the VIP lounge... Hercule heaved a deep sigh. He was getting tired of all this crap. What was the point of it now, anyway? His fame, his glory, his wealth, his fans even... It was all meaningless. He'd already lost what he treasured most; nothing would ever fill the void it left behind.

His throat tightened when he glanced at the photograph on his desk. Reaching over with a trembling hand, he grabbed the wooden frame while he leaned back against his leather chair, tears welling up in his eyes as he gazed upon the family he no longer had.

He remembered that day, when this photo was taken. His daughter had just turned six and had insisted that she was old enough to do martial arts. He recalled that his wife had been quite reluctant to oblige, as she would rather play tea party and dolls with their little girl; Videl had always been a tomboy however, and his wife eventually agreed to let her do martial arts. He had felt so proud of his little Videl then, as she put on a traditional white kimono for the first time. Someone in the dojo had taken the photo: Videl was grinning happily while he and his wife crouched down behind her, smiling up at the camera. They were happy back then. He was happy back then, when he had them.

A knock on his office door brought him out of his melancholic thoughts. The champ brushed his fingers over his wet eyes, set the frame back on his desk, and took a deep breath, composing himself.

"Come in."

A maid shyly opened the door and bowed respectfully.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but, um..." the young woman seemed to hesitate, and Hercule sighed in impatience.

"Well, what's it?"

His snappy tone made her jump slightly, but he was in no mood to be compassionate. He was busy enough as it was.

"It's, um... it's Ms. Satan. Your daughter is downstairs, sir, she wishes to see you."

His eyes narrowed dangerously as he scowled at the maid, who recoiled slightly in fear.

"What... did you... say?"

His tone was menacingly low, almost growling at the poor woman. His blood was boiling in outrage. What kind of sick joke was this? Who would be so cruel as to play such a dirty trick on him?

"I-I-It's really her, sir," stuttered the maid, taking a few steps back as her boss' scowl hardened, his eyes blazing in fury. "There can be no mistake about it━"

_SLAM!_

The maid froze when Hercule almost crushed his desk with his iron first. Slowly, he stood up, walked past her frightened form, and went out of his office. Whoever this person was, Hercule knew it couldn't possibly be his daughter. And they were going to regret playing such a sick joke on the strongest man on Earth.

* * *

Gohan paused, setting his pen on the kitchen table, and turned his head to look out of the window, a thoughtful frown etched across his features.

While he had been doing on his homework, or, rather, trying to focus on it, he started sensing a rather strong _ki_ ━in human standard, at least━moving towards the East. It felt really familiar, somehow, yet for the life of him he couldn't pinpoint who it belonged to. He'd been racking his brain to try and remember why it felt so familiar, which had kept him distracted from his math exercises.

But now, the familiar, yet still unknown energy signature stopped moving and dropped completely. Like the person had purposely concealed it.

He hadn't worried about the strong _ki_ since he didn't feel anything bad from it; it was quite the opposite, in fact. It belonged to someone good, that much he knew; but he hadn't expected the person to be able to control their energy. Who was it? Why did it feel so familiar? Did he know that person? There was only a handful of people on earth who were able to hide their _ki_ 's at will, and Gohan was pretty sure he personally knew each of them.

But then, _who_ was it?

It was really unsettling. He wished he could still focus on that _ki_ and keep trying to remember who it belonged to. He felt like he was forgetting something important; it was on the tip of his tongue, he was so close to figuring it out. He _knew_ that _ki_ , he was positive, and yet he just couldn't remember who it was no matter how hard he tried.

"Is something the matter, Gohan?"

The young man turned away from the window and looked at his mother, who was drying her hands from washing the dishes. Concern reflected in her dark eyes, and Gohan smiled to reassure her.

"It's nothing. I guess I'm just a little distracted," he said with a shrug.

"You don't have to finish all your work right away, you know. The school's on a break after all."

"You're right," he decided, closing his notebook; he couldn't focus right now anyway. He stood up, "I'll go join Goten in the living room then."

Chichi smiled, watching her eldest son leave the kitchen before gathering his school stuff on the table to put them away in the boys' shared bedroom. She was so proud of her Gohan. He'd been through so much, but he had always been so helpful and responsible. He helped her around the house as much as he could, was serious about his studies and always brought home perfect marks, and he was such a wonderful older brother to Goten. Sometimes, she felt as though she had to remind him to take a break every once in awhile.

As she returned from the boys' room, she heard her youngest son's excited chatter, talking animatedly to his beloved big brother. Chichi felt so lucky to have them; she didn't ever want to imagine what she'd do if she ever lost her dearest children.

* * *

That imposter was going to get it. He was going to give that bastard a piece of his mind, as well as a taste of his fist! Hercule couldn't believe someone would pull something so despicable. He was still grieving the loss of his daughter; who would do something so vile and disrespectful as to pass themselves for his little girl and _dare_ to present themselves before him _in his own house_? He'd be damned if he was going to let that fraud leave unpunished. They were going to regret to have ever set a foot on his property.

Stomping down the spiraling staircase, the world champion hurried to the parlor where the imposter was kept waiting. His scowl hardened as he neared his destination, ready to literally kick the unwanted guest out of his home. His fists tightly closed, Hercule barged in the room, almost breaking the door off its hinge as he swung it open harshly.

He barely caught sight of a girl waiting with her back turned, that he already started yelling.

"Look here you little brat, I don't know who you are but you better get the hell out of here before I kick y━"

And then she turned around━and his whole world shattered to pieces. All air left his lungs and his vision blurred, while at the same time, he tried to focus on every detail of her face. It was the most beautiful sight, her face... her bright eyes, her smile.

His daughter.

Hercule let out a muffled sob, tears gathering in his blue orbs. Videl. It was Videl. It was really her, it was really his little girl. His precious, adored child. She was there, right in front of him, smiling... Another sob escaped him.

How he'd missed her smile.

She walked over to him, stopping when she reached him, and wrapped her slender arms around his bulky, trembling body, resting her head comfortably against his chest. Right against his heart.

"I missed you so much, Daddy."

That did it. Hercule held onto his daughter tightly as he cried his sorrow away, tears flowing down his face uncontrollably. His little girl... his little girl was back. How, why, when, he couldn't care less in that moment. Videl was in his arms, alive and well. It was all that mattered.


	2. It's on the News

"Beware evil fiend, for the Great Saiyaman is here! My cool poses and super style will knock you off! I'll punish you for being bad, in the name of justice! Take that!"

Gohan bit down his lip as he tried not to burst out laughing while his adorable little brother took over the superhero persona with his favorite action figure. The older boy had no idea how Goten came up with those funny speeches, but they surely couldn't have come from him... He was never _that_ corny, was he? Besides, he hadn't gone through his "superhero routine" for a while now...

"Oh, no!" shrieked the elder brother in a purposely high pitched voice. "Please don't hurt me! I surrender, I surrender! I'll be good, I promise!"

That was pretty much the same pitiful way the criminals he took care of every now and again begged him for mercy. Usually at this point he would━

"Ha ha! It's too late now! You must pay for your crimes!"

━NOT do this. Goten proceeded to use his Saiyaman action figure to beat up the hooded ones Gohan played as, laughing maniacally while accompanying his moves by saying things like, "Take that! That'll teach you! Ha ha! Who's laughing now?"

The older half-Saiyan felt a drop of sweat trickle down his temple while he watched the small child happily kicking and punching the thug-figurines around with his Great Saiyaman miniature. Beating up bad guys was never something he'd do if he could avoid it... Ah, well, it was just a harmless game after all, and Goten was still a kid. If he found this way of handling criminals to be more fun, then it was good enough for Gohan. Although, he should make sure to keep his brother out of such situations in real life... The little tyke would most likely cause a complete disaster!

The phone ringing didn't distract the two boys from their game, for their mother quickly picked it up and began to speak with the person calling. Gohan paused, however, when he noticed his mom's unbelieving tone as she talked into the receiver.

"Gohan! You're supposed to be in pain and try to escape now!" His younger sibling's whining voice brought his attention back to the game; however, he kept his ears strained, trying to make out his mother's hushed words coming from the kitchen.

The conversation ended with a _click_ soon after, and he kept wondering what that was all about, for he hadn't been able to get much of what she were saying━only some stray words here and there. Chichi hurriedly walked in the living room and looked around for something, a concerned yet impatient frown taking over her features. Gohan pretty much forgot about the action figure game he was supposed to participate in at this point, watching with interest and curiosity as the older woman rushed for the remote control, tucked in between the cushions of the sofa, and quickly turned on the TV.

When the black screen came to life, his gaze automatically turned to watch what was on, hoping to understand what all this fuss was about.

And he literally stopped breathing.

This... This couldn't be true. He tried to swallow the constricting lump caught in his throat as he stared at the screen, his mouth dry. He could hear his heart thumping so loudly in his ears that it was almost preventing him from making out what the pony-tailed girl on the news was saying, seemingly in the middle of a press conference.

"━ _apologize for the grief and sadness my disappearance has caused to everyone, especially to my beloved father, Hercule Satan, who believed he'd lost his only daughter. I apologize to my friends, who had to go through all this; and to the city and citizens, for not being there to protect you all━although from what I heard Saiyaman's been handling things quite well during my absence. If you're watching this, Saiyaman, thank you for keeping the city safe. I really owe you one."_

"Isn't that the girl that died...?" Goten's innocent and confused voice piped up shyly, looking at his big brother for an answer. The older boy's attention, however, was solely on the blue eyed girl looking at the camera that filmed her, and he felt as though she was, in fact, smiling directly at him.

" _I know I owe you all an explanation,"_ she continued, her expression turning grave. _"As you know, I was believed to have died in a fire that completely burned down a local apartment building. I was able to escape, however, and have been in hiding ever since that incident took place. You see, I was the target of a very dangerous criminal gang, and a special organisation━which I shall not name, by their own request━took me in while we worked together to take the threat down. And as we succeeded to put them behind bars, I recovered my safety as well as my close ones', and I immediately came back home━I arrived just tonight, a couple of hours ago."_

While the reporters started to question her turn by turn, Gohan stood up, taking his mother and brother by surprise with his sudden movement. Wordlessly, he walked to the front door, slipped on some shoes, grabbed his coat and went outside, tuning out his mother's inquiries while he quickly summoned his energy beneath his feet and took off into the air.

It dawned on him now. That mysterious _ki_ that he'd been trying to pinpoint earlier, it was hers. He couldn't believe he hadn't recognized her right away━how could he forget her unmistakable energy signature? _How_ could she be back all of sudden, for that matter? He didn't buy this story of secret organisation or whatever for one second━Videl had been dead, there was no doubt about it. And now she was back.

 _Dragonballs?_ he wondered. How? When? Who? Did Mr. Satan somehow find out about them? Or was it someone else? Then why didn't the sky turn pitch black━

Of course! Summoning Shenron at night wouldn't be too noticeable, especially for those who were indoors. Someone must have collected them, and brought Videl back only a few hours ago.

So many questions kept tumbling around in his head. He was flying at full speed, hoping to see her and ask them to her as soon as possible━he was almost tempted to turn Super Saiyan to get to Satan City faster, but the golden aura would be sure to draw unwanted attention and the young warrior wasn't so careless as to risk something like that. Now was definitely not the right time for that.

He sped up to the maximum of his abilities, now at the brink of transforming. His eyes flickered teal for a brief moment, but the young fighter was able to hold it down. He was almost there now━

Something stirred inside his chest, and Gohan swallowed hard, that damn lump still constricting his throat.

More than having his questions answered, he wanted to see her. With his own eyes, he wanted to make sure that she was indeed alive and well, that it wasn't some trick. She'd been━ _was_ ━one of his closest friends since he started school, one of the first, very own friends he'd had in his whole life, and he'd always cared deeply about Videl. He wanted to see her━he _needed_ to see her, _right now_.

He soon reached the city and landed by the outskirts, then broke into a run without a pause. The streets of Satan City blurring around him, Gohan concentrated on her _ki_ signature as he sprinted straight towards her. With his incredible speed, it didn't take him more than mere seconds to arrive in the spacious hall where the press conference was being held, getting inside unnoticed. He stopped abruptly on a secluded spot, putting the hood of his coat over his head for extra measures; not that anyone in that huge crowd of journalists would have noticed him: all eyes were solely on the raven haired girl on the podium, still answering the numerous questions one by one.

It was really her. Videl was actually standing there, in flesh and blood━alive. A warm feeling invaded him as he gazed upon her, a small smile forming across his features. The beating of his heart picked up, pounding against his chest even faster than when he had been flying at full speed.

She was... gorgeous. The young man gulped with difficulty, feeling blood rush to his face, yet he just couldn't take his eyes off of her. Had she always been so... breathtaking...? His body was responding strangely to her presence, the sight of her... her smile, her twinkling, soothing blue eyes; the way she spoke, the way she held herself... His hands were getting sweaty, his face felt hot, his heart didn't seem to be able to calm down, and now he was having trouble breathing, too. The sensations weren't quite unfamiliar━more like... forgotten.

And then it hit him━and the realization rooted him on the spot.

He loved her.

It all made sense now. The feeling of emptiness, the confusion, the hurt, the anger, the guilt, the constant aching in his chest, the growing void in his heart... It wasn't only over the loss of a friend, however close she'd been to him━he knew it now. He was painfully aware of it. His feelings for her ran so much deeper than friendship.

He loved her; plain and simple. He was completely, desperately, agonizingly in love with Videl Satan.

* * *

As the daughter of the ever famous Mr. Satan━and being a bit of a celebrity herself━Videl had grown used to reporters and paparazzis and even just civilians asking all sort of questions, curious about her personal and professional life. She'd never liked answering them, but the girl understood that in her current situation she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. She knew she had to give an explanation on how she could be back, when everyone believed her to have been dead for the last several months.

Well, she obviously couldn't go with the truth. It had been hard enough to tell everything to her dad... Surprisingly though, her usually skeptical father believed her without much difficulty. Sure, he was dumbstruck at first, asked her to repeat... but he believed her word without a second thought. Videl figured he was too happy and relieved to have her back to care about the circumstances of her return. So she died and was brought back with some magic balls and a dragon? OK, sure.

 _As long as you're here with me pumpkin, I couldn't be happier_ , he'd said. She smiled at the memory. It was good to be back, and to see him again. She'd truly missed her daddy all those months she'd been in the other world.

"Ms. Satan, over here!"

"Yes?" she said, motioning the woman in a suit at the front to voice her question.

"Arya Curis from the Daily Satan. You told us that a special organisation had taken you in while you were in hiding. Given that you've been absent from all social interaction, have you been able to date? Are you in a relationship? Maybe one of the agents from that organisation?"

_What the hell?_

Something like that wasn't unexpected, of course, but how on earth was it relevant to her situation? Did they really need to know whether or not she was seeing someone? She was seriously getting tired of this press conference; the questions were becoming less and less about her return and more about her personal life. Honestly, how would having a boyfriend or whatever even be interesting? It wasn't like she was much different than any other teenage girl in that department.

Heaving a sigh, she leaned toward the microphone and answered tiredly. "This question is highly inappropriate Ms. Curis, but since you're going to jump to conclusions if I don't answer, no, I'm not in a relationship. I didn't meet anyone in that aspect when I was away. It's not like I was on vacation or something, it was serious business."

That didn't seem to satisfy the young woman, who immediately followed on, "But surely you could've met some young men while working with━"

"Ms. Curis, please cut it out," Videl snapped, by now fed up with that nosy pest━was it how Gohan felt about her when she would stick her nose into his business? She sure hoped not...

"If you have any more questions please address my family's press agent. That is all."

Last minute questions suddenly broke out from the mass of reporters, an incomprehensible jumble of voices desperately trying to get her attention for one last information━but Videl was already climbing off the podium and taking a side door. She waved off the bodyguards who started to follow her and kept walking along a narrow corridor, her eyes quickly inspecting the directional signs for the exit. She needed to take a breath of fresh air...

Besides, Gohan was coming her way now.

She had noticed him long before he arrived in Satan City; his gigantic _ki_ was definitely not one she could've missed even if he were on the other side of the planet. Distractedly, she wondered just how strong he actually was, as she knew that she'd only sensed a fraction of his full power. She'd felt him among the crowd when she was still in the middle of the press conference, but hadn't dared turn her gaze on him. His energy had felt quite... troubled, if she wasn't mistaken... She didn't really know what it meant but it made her feel nervous for some reason. Well, she was still really new to this ability of _ki_ sensing, even more so when it involved pinpointing the emotions it carried. For that matter, it was in fact the very first time she had felt Gohan's _ki_. Even so, she instantly knew it was him; his aura felt so familiar, so much like━

She pushed a door open and finally stepped outside, sucking in a deep breath. Closing her eyes, a peaceful smile formed on her lips while the cool night air soothed her. In the back of her mind, Videl followed her friend's course as he got closer to her location, mentally readying herself to see him again.

She was starting to get a little nervous now. Opening her eyes, she let out a deep breath and leaned back against the wall. He should be there any moment now.

Right on cue, the door she'd just walked through opened again, and she smiled as she saw the spiky haired boy cautiously step out, a pair of onyx, familiar eyes immediately seeking her own.

A pang of something unnamed stirred her heart. Wait... was she blushing? And why did her throat feel so dry all of sudden?

Brushing off her body's strange reaction to Gohan's presence as the joy of seeing her friend for the first time in so long, Videl took a few steps toward him, her hands clasped behind her back, and smiled shyly at the tall young man.

"Hey," she greeted softly, and a warm sensation filled her heart when he smiled back.

"Hey there, Videl."

Hearing his voice again after so long... felt oddly comforting. Like the tune of a soothing melody you've been longing to hear, but you only realize it when it's playing. The dry lump in her throat tightened, and Videl swallowed, her cheeks feeling a little hotter.

Gohan took a few steps towards her, and his hand hesitantly reached up, brushing the soft strands of her fringe with the tip of his fingers, an unreadable expression taking over his face. His deep, black eyes seemed to observe every detail of her features and the young girl felt so small, so defenseless under his intense gaze, his towering presence.

"You're really here," he whispered, breathless.

She lowered her eyes to the ground, suddenly finding her boots extremely interesting. Her face was burning hot now, and she tried to swallow the lump caught in her throat, reminding herself what she was supposed to do.

"Let's go for a walk," she said softly, slowly pacing away from his overwhelming closeness. She felt him follow after her wordlessly, and scanned their surroundings for a secluded spot. They kept walking until they reached a narrow, deserted street, and Videl finally turned around to face the tall boy.

"You've probably figured out," she began, "that the explanation I gave the media is nothing but fiction... And you must've guessed," she continued, a small, knowing smile tugging at her lips, "how I can be alive again, haven't you?"

He nodded, a thoughtful frown etched across his features. "The Dragonballs."

Her smile widened and she nodded in turn, turning away from him as she took a few steps. A playful glint lit her eyes as she heard the boy slowly follow her, an idea forming in her mind...

Gohan waited patiently to hear the rest of her story, but instead he felt her _ki_ spike up all of a sudden. His jaw dropped when a bright, white aura shone around her, and then she took off to the sky.

She could... _What_? Since when...? _how_...? Where did Videl learn how to fly? From who? When? How? What on earth was going on?

He hesitated for only a moment, but took off in turn and hurried after her, as he was pretty sure Videl expected him to. A jumble of new questions filled his head while he flew after her trail, quickly catching up to her.

But before he could voice a question the girl shot forwards ahead of him, surprising him even more with her speed. Looking back at him over her shoulder, she grinned playfully and called teasingly,"What's the matter, Mr. Saiyaman? Can't catch up to a girl?"

His eyes widened in surprise, his flight unbalancing for a moment while the information sank in. How did she know? How was it possible? Moreover, he had a feeling that it was far from the only thing she knew about him, and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

Frowning slightly, the young Saiyan decided that he needed answers, and he wasn't going to wait any longer to get them. Using his super speed, he phased out of sight and reappeared right in front of the flying girl, catching her between his arms before she realized it.

"Not fair..." she mumbled into his chest, a red tint coloring her cheeks. "I can't be faster than you."

He wasn't ready to let her go just yet, and kept his arms wrapped about her small frame. His senses took in the sweet, fruity scent of her hair, his mind forgetting momentarily what he meant to do.

Snapping out of it, he let out a soft sigh and reluctantly parted from her, but his fingers lightly brushed through the silky strands of her ponytail before he could stop himself. She looked up at him with a shy, yet playful smile, and Gohan felt a warm sensation tingling in his chest. Oh, how he'd missed this girl...

"OK, you won," she said, crossing her arms in a mock pout. "It's not like I could ever beat you anyway."

Her words reminded him everything he'd meant to ask her, everything he had to understand. He tried to pull himself together, to calm his nerves, to keep his feelings in check... Now was not the time to lose control. He averted his gaze for a few moments, taking a deep breath as he prepared himself to look back at her and voice his thoughts, commanding himself to not let her stunning beauty pull him in again.

"Wh... What's going on, Videl? How come you can fly? And how can you know that I'm... How can you know about Saiyaman?" He shook his head slightly, trying to organize the mess of questions rushing through it. "Why do I get the feeling that you know everything about me?"

She grinned, and the glint in her eyes confirmed his suspicions. She was obviously enjoying herself, too, taking her time to answer, to finally shed some light in what had happened to her all that time. Was it how she felt, when she had been so adamant to get answers from him back then? Was that why she'd never given up and kept trying to unmask him no matter what? He felt a pang of guilt for what he'd put her through, for all the lies he'd told her, and figured that it was only fair that now she was the one with the secret he desperately wanted to know.

"Well, that's because I do," she finally answered. "I know pretty much everything about you, Gohan. After all..." she paused, and bright smile lit up her face, her eyes twinkling gleefully.

"Well," she continued, letting out a chuckle, "your dad is quite talkative you know."

* * *

January 16th, 2014


	3. It's Not Your Fault

"M... My d-dad?" he mumbled, visibly in shock. Videl smirked to herself; now _that_ was the reaction she'd been looking forward to. His eyes were wide open in astonishment, his whole demeanor betrayed just how dumbfounded he was by what she said.

Well, she couldn't blame him. Of all things she could've told him, Gohan certainly wouldn't expect her to mention his dad.

"Wh... What do you mean... You met... How could you meet my d—"

He abruptly stopped in mid-sentence, his eyes getting wider with realization this time. He stared at her, gaping, looking even more flabbergasted as he seemed to have understood how it could be possible, indeed, that she'd met his deceased father.

"You... You..."

He didn't seem to be able to utter a complete sentence in his current state of shock, and Videl cracked a smile; she'd forgotten how Gohan looked so completely adorable when he was put on the spot. It wasn't really nice of her but it always made her want to grin like an idiot and tease him some more.

"How about we land down there and talk?" she suggested, motioning to the beach below them. Gohan nodded wordlessly, his dumbstruck expression now replaced with a thoughtful frown, blemishing his usually warm features. They flew together in silence towards the ground, soon touching down by an imposing boulder. Videl leaned back against it, while the taller boy sat on it, bringing his knee close to his chest in a more comfortable position and patiently waiting for her explanation.

Her brow furrowed slightly when she took notice that Gohan was still significantly taller than her even when sitting down on that rock; was she really _that_ short? The boulder wasn't even that high, either, only reaching up to her hips.

Sighing dejectedly at her pitiful vertical shortcoming, Videl forced herself to focus back on the matter at hand. She had a _lot_ of explaining to do.

"You've figured it out, right?" she said softly, a small smile forming on her lips.

Gohan gulped, like he was still having trouble believing his own conclusions. He scratched the back of his head in a nervous habit, and Videl couldn't help her grin as she now knew just where the boy had picked it up. Rather, whom he took it from.

"You met him... there? I mean... in the other world?"

His words were slow and cautious, looking at her with some doubt still, as well as worry and maybe a little of... hope? The recently revived girl nodded her head to confirm his suppositions. The guy was smart, she had to give him that.

"Does that mean..." he paused, his brow furrowing, deep in thoughts. "You were allowed to keep your body then, right? Did you meet my dad in the Kais' planet? So, you were able to train there, right?"

Videl blinked. OK, the guy was just too cunning for his own good... She didn't even have much left to explain now with all his on-the-spot deductions! Was he going to let her talk or just figure it all out by himself?

"I guess it does make sense," he went on, his mind still racing it seemed. "You've saved a lot of lives even though you're still young. Even in that fire you saved many people before you..."

He trailed off, a pained expression taking over his face. He looked away and placed his large hand over his eyes, as if trying to hide them from her. Like he was ashamed.

"Gohan...?"

She touched his knee tentatively and felt him tense ever so slightly, though he didn't make a move to push her hand away. Bending over slightly to try and catch a glimpse of his eyes, she couldn't help the worry and dread taking over her as her normally cheerful friend kept them well hidden, stubbornly refusing to look at her, and obviously very much upset about something.

"Gohan, what's—"

"You _died_ ," he suddenly blurted, cutting her off. "You _died_ , Videl, and I wasn't even there. I could've saved you, I _should've_ saved you!"

Guilt, sorrow, anger even... His emotions were making his voice tremble. He shot up at her unexpectedly, and Videl could feel a knot forming in her guts at the painful look in his dark eyes. It hurt her, seeing him like this. She didn't like the way his onyx orbs shone with distress.

"I should've been there," he whispered hoarsely, taking her hand from his knee and holding it firmly. "I should've been there to save you. You shouldn't have died, Videl, it never should've happened at all. I... Ilet you die. _I let you die_ , Videl... Like I let _him_ die. He shouldn't have died that day, and neither did you... I should've—I _could've_ saved you, both of you. I should've—"

"Stop it!"

He pursed his lips and let go of her hand. He placed his forehead against his bending knee and wrapped an arm around his leg, hugging it to his chest. Videl clenched her fists to her sides, feeling a deep frustration welling inside her and making her blood boil. Taking a step closer, she planted herself right in front of him and grabbed his head with both hands to force him to look at her, a determined frown meeting sorrowful eyes.

"Is this what you've been doing all this time—blaming yourself over my death? As if it were even your fault."

"But if I'd been there I could've—"

"So _what_?" she cut him off harshly, pissed off with his idiocy. "Are you telling me that every single death on this damned planet is _your_ fault? That since you _could_ save me, since you have the power to protect anyone, that if you're _not there_ to save _every_ fucking life, it's _your_ fault that people _die_? Are you _stupid_? People die, Gohan, every day, all the time; you _can't_ save everybody, no matter how powerful you are. _No one_ can."

She let go of him and pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation, while Gohan stared at her with his mouth slightly open, obviously stunned by her words.

"I can't believe it, ugh," she said with a frustrated sigh. "To think you wasted all those months blaming yourself over my death." She turned back to him, looking at him sadly. "I should've seen it coming, actually. It's so characteristic of you. Even Goku figured that you were most likely blaming yourself for his death—yes, I do know how it happened and why you'd feel responsible for it, and no, your dad isn't blaming you at all. _He_ chose to stay dead by himself, and _you_ were just a kid back then, so stop it Gohan. Stop bearing all the problems in the world on your shoulders—you're only sixteen, superpowers or not. You're way too young to be thinking like that."

He allowed a small smile to tug at his lips and reached over slowly, taking her small, soft hand into his own, much bigger one. Videl let out a small sigh—partly in relief to see him with a more relaxed expression, partly in fatigue after her long monologue—but smiled back at him nonetheless, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb.

"Thank you, Videl, I... needed to hear that, I think," he said quietly, unconsciously moving closer to her.

"You're welcome."

"I'm seventeen, by the way," he added as an afterthought, his smile turning playful. "My birthday was in May."

"What? You mean I was still alive when you turned seventeen and you didn't even say a word back then? You bastard!" She hit him jokingly on the shoulder with her other hand for emphasis. Not that it could hurt him.

"Ouch," he said without much conviction, a grin plastered on his face. She felt something warm envelop her heart as she gazed upon him, glad that the negative emotions were gone from his black orbs.

"You look better when you smile," she blurted without thinking. Watching the bright blush spread across his face made it all the more worth it—Gohan looked just too cute when he was embarrassed.

He let go of her hand to scratch at the hair on the back of his head and looked away, staring off to the horizon. His cheeks were still a deep shade of red, and Videl giggled at his expense. Oh, she'd certainly missed those moments with him.

"So, do you want to hear about how I met your dad?"

The change of topic immediately caught the boy's interest. "Of course!" he said, smiling at her again.

Making herself comfortable, Videl sat on the boulder beside Gohan and looked up into the stars, accessing her memories. With a deep breath and a fond smile, she started on with her story.

* * *

Afterlife was so _strange_. First, there had been that long waiting line of cloud-shaped souls. Next, when her turn came along, some pinkish-skinned giant with horns, sitting behind an equally giant desk, told her that her good deeds while alive allowed her to keep her body, and then out of the blue she was in flesh and blood again, and was asked whether she would rather train in a planet full of dead, selfless warriors, or simply go to heaven.

Well, she didn't dwell much to make her choice, especially seeing as she could still visit heaven whenever she wanted if there was anyone she wanted to see again. She asked if she could start by visiting heaven, but apparently she needed to be introduced to the Kais first. Disappointed, Videl figured that she had all of eternity to go visit her mom, so she obediently followed a blue-skinned, glasses-wearing, single-horned demon to a plane that was to bring her to the planet of Kais.

Yes, a plane. With an engine and all. In afterlife. Huh.

It took no time to arrive on the aforementioned planet. On the way, she was told about the four Kais who were in charge of the four parts of the universe: North, South, East and West. The blue demon accompanying her explained that since she was from Earth, the North Kai would be the one in charge of training her. She wasn't able to know much more about the matter, for the plane landed and she had to get off of it.

Death, if anything, was certainly not like anything she would have expected. The girl was still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that she was, indeed, _dead_ , not to mention getting used to that halo hovering over her head. But this place, that purple sky, the yellow clouds, and all those weird looking people—it was a lot to take in all at once.

She was soon introduced to North Kai, some short, blue-skinned, stubby, catfish-like man who demanded that she tell him a joke. No, not just a joke—a pun.

"Uh..."

She was at a loss for words. After everything that had happened since she died, her brain was pretty much out. _Hey, wait a minute..._

"I can't think of anything... My brain must be dead."

She waited anxiously, the blue man seemingly frozen by her words. Was it a good sign or not? Will they kick her out of there if she failed to make him laugh? It was so stupid, she had really looked forward to training with the other warriors, too. Why hadn't she been warned that she would need to prepare a joke to tell the Kai before her arrival? If she'd had more time then maybe she could've come up with something better...

"Pfftthehehe... HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

His laughter made her sigh of relief. That was close! And there she was already preparing herself mentally to leave this place so soon.

"HAHAHAHA! Your brain...! HAHAHA! DEAD! BWAHAHAHAHA! Oh, that's a good one, I'll be sure to use it again, hehehehehe..."

The short man let out some more giggles, and then finally heaved a content sigh, clasping his hands behind his back again, like when he had greeted her.

"You're not just anybody, huh?" he said, eyeing her. "So, what's your name again? Where do you come from, exactly?"

She blinked, not quite sure what to make of this strange creature. Nonetheless, she straightened herself and proceeded to answer.

"My name is Videl, Videl Satan. I'm from Earth."

"Oooohhhh... How interesting!" King Kai exclaimed, looking very pleased with the information. "We don't get a lot of people from Earth, lest such a young girl. Even when someone could come and train here, they usually choose to chill out in heaven. You sure are a special one... You must have done some incredible things in your life, huh? To think you look so young! How old are you?"

"I'm sixteen," she replied, blushing slightly from his words.

"Ah, so young indeed. Such a shame to die this young—so, tell me, what happened to you?"

It seemed like the common question up there, so Videl forced herself to think back of her painful death to answer. She would probably have to tell the story a lot around there, it would be best to get used to it starting now.

"There was a fire in an apartment building, so I was called in to help the fire department rescue the people still stuck inside," seeing his surprised and somewhat confused expression, she added, "I'm usually called by the police force to help fight crime, but sometimes I just help however I'm needed."

"I see," the Kai commented, cutting in. "You must have saved many lives in that case. So that's how even at such a young age, you can be one of the privileged souls and allowed to keep your body."

"I guess so..." she shrugged uneasily. "In any case, even though I managed to get all the people out of the building, the moment I was about to go out too, there was an explosion, and well, you know the rest."

The short man nodded gravely. "You definitely deserve your place on here. You're truly one of a kind; such selflessness is a rare gift, you know."

"Um, yeah, I suppose so..." she said a bit awkwardly. Being who she was, she was used to compliments, but not really of that kind...

"There's someone here that grew up on Earth, actually. He's in fact the number one in the whole universe, and my most praised pupil," he said proudly, puffing out his chest; Videl had the feeling that this was something the Kai loved to boast about. "Though he wasn't born on Earth, he always protected the planet all throughout his life, and even died sacrificing his life to save it from complete destruction."

Videl raised her eyebrows. Was there really someone like that who grew up on Earth? And what did King Kai mean by "he wasn't born on Earth"? She now understood that her planet was far from being alone in the universe, but were there really aliens living among humans? Could it be that she'd met one without realizing it?

"Of _course_ ," the Kai continued, his tone turning bitter, "he just _had_ to bring that Cell monster on _my_ planet, _of all places_! Can't believe _I_ died, I'm a _god_ for heaven's sake!"

"Uh, I see," she said hesitantly. Afterlife definitely had some weird people.

Wait a minute...

"Did you say Cell? As in, the monster that terrorized the Earth seven years ago? That one?"

"Hm? So it's been seven years now, huh," he commented distractedly. "Well, yes, who else?"

Videl frowned. This didn't sound right. The way things looked, the man that King Kai was talking about died seven years ago, while saving the Earth from Cell. But that couldn't be it, her dad was the one who saved the world. She must have mistaken the facts somehow...

"Can you tell me more about how that man died?"

"Oh, that's right!" King Kai said suddenly, slamming his fist in his open palm like he just remembered something. "That Mr. Satan guy had everyone believe he killed Cell, right?"

At her disbelieved look, he looked a bit embarrassed to have just blurted it out like that, and coughed into his fist in an attempt to hide his awkwardness.

"Yeah, sorry to say it so bluntly, but that guy was nowhere near Cell's level, let alone the strongest man on Earth—he's actually pretty weak, you know," he continued, shrugging his shoulders. "But it's not your business now, that's the world of the living, and we're in the other world. You shouldn't worry about it now."

She scowled at the shorter man, inwardly glad that she was actually the taller one for once. How dare he brush off such an information, just like that? Like _hell_ she was just going to forget about this— _pun intended_! It was her father that he was bad mouthing! Whether he had lied or not, she will not stand there and let that weirdo insult the man who raised her!

"Well excuse me, but this _is_ my damn business, dead or not," she retorted harshly, surprising the Kai with her sudden anger. "Hercule Satan is my father, you moron!"

Now the man looked really embarrassed, fidgeting nervously. He cleared his throat.

"Well, I didn't know. It's not like it was written on your halo or something," he sniggered at his own lame joke.

"I told you my last name, you klutz!"

"Well it's not like you're the only person on Earth with that last name! It could've been a coincidence!"

"It's not! It's not even a real name, just a stage name that stuck to the family—I mean, _Satan_? Who else than a professional wrestler would choose a name like that? Are you stupid?"

"Don't call me stupid, you're stupid! You should've said so earlier!"

"Now that's a witty retort, you are soooo smart."

King Kai growled at her, but Videl held her ground and scowled right back at him, using her towering presence as an advantage. Oh, it felt good to be the taller one. She will not let that midget get away with it!

There was a strange buzzing sound, and all of sudden something orange appeared before her eyes, hiding the short Kai behind it. A cheerful voice rang out from the orange... body? Slowly, the girl's eyes traveled upwards, recognizing the figure of a man's broad, muscular back, stopping at the untamed locks of spikes covering the newcomer's head.

"Hey King Kai! What's up? Can you get me something to eat maybe? I'm STARVING!"

* * *

His loud, hearty laugh resounded around the deserted beach, and Videl grinned as she watched Gohan hold his sides and almost fall to the ground while he laughed—wait, now he actually fell from the boulder. Regardless, Gohan still kept laughing, now rolling in the sand and holding his stomach.

"Oh gosh, that's just priceless!" he managed to utter out in between bouts of laughter. " _So_ like Dad—oh, my stomach hurts! Hahahahaha!"

She helped him up, his contagious laugh making her giggle along with him. He tried to calm his hilarity a few times, taking a few deep breaths, but then the image of that scene came back in his mind and he was bursting out laughing all over again and holding the boulder for support. It took some time, but Gohan eventually managed to calm down. His grin stayed glued on his face however, and Videl wouldn't have it any other way.

"Can I keep going now?" she said mocking annoyance, while still unable to wipe off her own grin that was hurting her cheeks.

"'Course! Sorry about the interruption—do keep going," he replied, his eyes gleaming in mirth.

They sat down on the sand this time, leaning back against the same boulder. Settled side by side, sleeved arms touching, they looked at each other with silly smiles stretching across their lips. The stars were still shining beautifully up in the night sky, but the pair didn't see it anymore, for their sole focus was the other's pair of eyes.

As Videl resumed her story, Gohan moved unconsciously closer to her, breathing in her unmistakable, intoxicating scent. How he loved this girl. What would he have done without her, if she hadn't been brought back? He didn't even want to think about it.

She was there now, right beside him. So beautiful, in every way possible. And he was happy, sitting there with her. He really couldn't be happier.

* * *

_January 31, 2014-_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This should clear up some stuff about the story. :P
> 
> Thanks for reading, reviews are always nice. Until next time—
> 
> Beta'd by gue22


	4. It's Getting Late

" _Hey King Kai! What's up? Can you get me something to eat maybe? I'm STARVING!"_

The silence that followed the abrupt intrusion was... awkward. Videl's view was still blocked by the broad back of the orange clad man, who'd seemed to appear from out of nowhere right in between herself and North Kai.

"GOKU!" the divine creature in question suddenly yelled at the intruder, redirecting his earlier frustration at him. "Can't you see you're interrupting something?! I swear you have no manners! _How_ could your wife _ever_ put up with you? She honestly has my respect!"

The man named Goku laughed good naturedly, scratching the hair at the base of his neck in a way that felt oddly familiar to Videl. Not thinking much into it, the girl in question took a few steps back and cleared her throat to bring attention to her presence. How long were they going to talk as if she wasn't around?

And then man turned around—and she found herself completely and utterly speechless. It was the same eyes, the same silly smile, almost exactly the same features that adorned his face. He said something, but Videl didn't hear it, barely noticed that he was speaking even; she was gaping at him, dumbstruck. He was but a stranger, someone who she'd never met before, and yet he looked so shockingly like one of her closest friends.

* * *

"I don't look _that_ much like my dad," Gohan cut in, one eyebrow quirked in amusement.

"Are you kidding me? You two could as well be twins! He hardly looks that much older, either. The resemblance really struck me!"

"So is that how you knew he was my dad? You told him you knew me or something?"

"Will you _stop_ figuring out everything _before_ I even get to tell you?"

She let out a dramatic sigh for emphasis and Gohan burst out laughing at her mock pout. Her face relaxed into a soft smile once again as she observed him. Her heart had been acting quite strangely tonight, especially since she was around Gohan. Why was it beating so uncontrollably at randoms? Why had it clenched so painfully when Gohan blamed himself for her death? Why was it fluttering in that odd and warm way now? What did it all mean? Or did it actually mean anything? Could it be because she'd forgotten what it was like to be alive? Or could it be... something else?

"OK, so what happened then?" Gohan asked, finally calming down. His pitch black eyes were staring back at hers, filled with gentleness and mirth.

Funny how she would always be reminded of him whenever she'd see Goku's eyes, but not the other way around.

"Right. So after he made his big entrance, when your dad turned around the resemblance with you really stuck me and I was gaping at him."

"Uh-huh."

"And I think King Kai introduced me in the meantime, because Goku suddenly exclaimed—"

* * *

"From _Earth_? Really?"

Videl blinked, the loud, excited voice of the newcomer snapping her out of her stunned daze. King Kai was nodding to Goku, who looked both surprised and delighted by what he just heard. Turning to look at her, a wide, happy grin spread out about his face—an expression that looked so familiar to the girl, and yet not quite.

"I'm from Earth, too!" he said energetically, reminding Videl of a child. She blinked again, processing what the man said. Would that mean...?

"Er, King Kai, is she mute? Why isn't she speaking?"

And once again, Videl blinked. Was he... pouting? Wow, for a grown man, that guy sure acted like a kid.

"No, I'm not mute," she replied, beating the Kai to it. "Sorry about that... It's just..."

She trailed off, wondering if she should explain the real reason. Could this man really be related to Gohan in some way? The similarities between them were striking, and they both had quite an unique look to them as well; it was too much to be a mere coincidence, wasn't it? Even their names were similar...

"What's it?" inquired Goku, tilting his head to the side in curiosity.

And there was this child-like innocence, too; Gohan also had it, somewhat, though not to the extend of this man, and he was more mature and serious. Videl let out a sigh... Well, might as well ask and be over with. Couldn't do any harm right?

"You remind me of someone," she finally said, and Goku looked genuinely surprised.

"Eh, really?" he said, touching his spiky locks with an amused expression. She figured that it wasn't something he'd been told often, if at all, given that he was also from Earth. The girl nodded.

"A good friend of mine... His name is Gohan, did you know—"

" _Gohan_?! Really?" he interrupted in disbelief. Videl gave a small smile and nodded again. What were the odds that she'd start off by meeting a relative of one of her friends in afterlife?

"So you do know him. You're someone in his family, right? The resemblance between you really struck me."

"Haha, yeah, he's my son!" he said with pride, his whole face beaming with that grin of his. "How old is he now? Is he OK? Oh, and did you meet my wife? Man I miss those guys! Wish King Kai would let me see what they're all up to," he added, sending a disappointed frown toward the blue skinned god.

"I told you already, Goku," the Kai retorted in exasperation. "You _can't_ meddle with their life now, you're _dead_ , and it's _permanent_ this time. You've broken enough rules as it is."

"Aww, you're no fun," he pouted, then sighed. "Ah well. Guess I'll have to wait till they join me—kinda sad isn't it?" he said to Videl with a soft smile, toned down with the weight of his words.

* * *

"He asked me _tons_ of questions about you," Videl continued. "It's too bad you never really talked about yourself huh?"

Gohan chuckled nervously, a bit sheepish as he scratched his cheek. It really _was_ too bad. If only he'd been more open, if only he hadn't been so worried that he might slip and reveal too much, then Videl could have at least answered some of his dad's questions. He winced slightly as he recalled that he'd never told her about Goten either, which means that his father still didn't know that he had another son.

He let out a deep sigh. "Man, now I really wish I'd told you more about me."

"Well, your dad was more than happy to answer _my_ questions, even those I didn't ask," she said chuckling. "He's so talkative! Sometimes he'd just babble about random things and just keep talking and talking. Most of the time it involved food, too."

Gohan sniggered, "I see he hasn't changed."

It was kind of strange, to refer to his deceased father in present tense. Talking about him like this with Videl, it really didn't feel like his dad was actually dead; it felt more like he was just away somewhere, that they'd get to see him soon enough.

The weight on his shoulders had never felt so light.

Gohan smiled, gazing lovingly at the incredible girl sitting beside him. It was all thanks to her. He didn't think he could ever love anyone else so deeply as he loved this girl. He bit down his lips as he refrained himself from blurting out his feelings for her.

Now was really not the time... Not when she just came back from the dead, when she only got her life back; she'd had enough emotions for the past months as it was. He loved her, with all of his heart, and because he loved her, he would wait for her to be ready, and would wait an eternity to be with her if that was what she needed.

As much as he was ready to give up on her if she asked him to.

* * *

"Did you see her? I still can't believe it..."

"Well of course, it's been all over the news all night. I bet even Brains' seen it, from all the way to his country village or whatever."

"I've been trying to call all night but it's always busy."

"What did you expect? They've probably been harassed by the media and fans ever since that press conference aired."

"Then let's go see her! I can't stand the waiting already."

Erasa huffed into the speaker of her phone, clearly frustrated by this whole situation. Her childhood friend, the best friend she'd been mourning since that awful, awful day turned out to be, in fact, still alive. And yet how did she find out about it? On the freaking news. Yes, maybe she was asking too much, but how could Videl not come see her beforehand? They grew up together practically like sisters, and she'd believed her to be _dead_ for several horrible, sorrowful months—and Videl couldn't even give her a simple call?

She was happy that her best friend was still alive, overjoyed actually, but she was also hurt to have learned about it like anybody else. And this busy line of hers was driving the blonde mad! She had to see Videl already, it'd been too long!

"Fine," Sharpner sighed from the other side of the line. "Then wait for me, we'll go together. You're home right?"

"Let's just meet in front of her place, it'll be faster."

"No, Erasa, it's _late_. You're not going out by yourself at this hour. I said wait for me, I'm picking you up in a few."

He ended the call without waiting for her reply, and Erasa followed suit with a tiny smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Sharpner was being a worry wart, but ever since what had happened to Videl—correction, what they _believed_ to have happened to Videl—he'd become more protective of her. And well... they'd kind of become closer in the last months.

Erasa blushed slightly, then shook her head sharply, commanding herself to focus on the matter at hand.

Barely ten minutes later, and her hair not even done properly, Sharpner texted her to meet him outside. Checking herself one last time in the mirror, she grabbed her purse and called out to her parents that she was going out, not waiting for their answer to do just that.

She grinned when she saw him nonchalantly leaning back to his motorbike, as if he were some kind of model or movie star. Well, she had to admit, he did look cool, sort of. Just a little.

He handed her the spare helmet when she reached him, and Erasa frowned slightly as she took it, reluctant to have it mess up her hair.

"Well? Put it on," he said impatiently. He pulled down the visor of his own helmet and climbed back on his motorbike, waiting for her to get behind him.

With a sigh, Erasa decided that some sacrifices must be made for the better good, and carefully placed it on her head with a cringe. Next, she got on the bike behind Sharpner and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Ready?" he said as he revved the engine.

"Just go alread—HHIIIIHHHH!"

 _That bastard!_ she thought, holding onto him for dear life as the motorbike sped off along the road. And he was chuckling on top of that! How dare he! He was lucky she couldn't hit him right now, but he just wait, as soon as they were on solid ground again. He just wait.

Luckily for Erasa, the ride didn't take more than another ten minutes, and she was able to get off that stupid, ridiculously fast motorbike, AND hit Sharpner on the head, after he'd taken off his helmet of course. And it felt awesome.

Unluckily for both of them, however, Videl wasn't home. They were told by a maid that she hadn't been back since the press conference but that she had told her father beforehand not to wait for her tonight.

"Can we wait for her maybe?" pleaded Erasa. "I mean, she couldn't be that much longer, right?"

"I wouldn't know, Ms. Erasa," the maid replied politely. "If you wish, I can let Mr. Satan know that you two are here. He might want to have a word with you."

"Yeah, that'd be great," Sharpner said.

"Thank you," Erasa added, sending the tall boy a glare for his lack of manners.

"Come on in, then." The maid stood aside to let them inside the mansion and led them to the parlor—the same that Videl had been in while waiting for her father mere hours ago—then excused herself to go and get Mr. Satan.

The two blondes shared a look. Both were wondering the same; where could have Videl gone after that press conference? And how come she was able to let her dad know about it even before getting on the news?

"Do you think she had some kind of meeting?" asked Erasa anxiously. "Like, with someone from that secret organisation or something?"

"Could be. Could be something else," Sharpner shrugged, trying to look unconcerned; but Erasa knew that it was just an act, that he was as anxious as her about it.

"Maybe she did meet someone."

He sniggered at the mere idea of it. The day Videl got herself a boyfriend would be the day he started checking out the other guys at the gym. Honestly, the girl was as uninterested in boys as he was; heck, he'd even thought that she swinged for the other team for a while, but she was just as indifferent to girls. Then again, that was months ago. People changed.

Would Videl have changed? he wondered. She did look slightly different on TV, perhaps more... peaceful. And that ponytail looked good on her, too.

The door opening distracted the boy from his musing; the maid from earlier held the door and in came the one and only Mr. Satan. However it was neither the boastful celebrity nor the mourning father that greeted them; tonight, it was with a tired smile that their friend's father nodded to them.

"Videl's not home yet," he said to them. "She told me she might have something to do after the press conference and said not to wait on her."

"But aren't you worried?" Erasa inquired. "She's just got back and now she's out somewhere again."

"Of course I'm worried, parents are permanently worried about their child, Erasa," the man said wisely. "But I trust her, and I know she's not up to no good. Besides, even I can't make her do something she won't, you know how she is."

Both teens chuckled slightly, knowing full well how true that was.

"I think it'd be best if you two go home and get some rest," Hercule advised. "There's no telling when Videl will be back, and you two need a good night of rest."

"Yeah, you're right," Sharpner cut in before Erasa could say otherwise.

"But wait—"

"He's right, Erasa," insisted the blonde boy, "there's no telling how long Videl can take to get home, and we are both exhausted by all this. Let's just sleep on it and see her tomorrow."

The girl wanted to protest, she wanted to wait and see Videl, she wanted to see her best friend! Was that really too much to ask?

"We'll see her tomorrow 'Rase. Let's go."

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she reluctantly nodded. Both teens bid their goodbye to Mr. Satan, and went home.

* * *

"What do you _mean_ , you don't do the poses anymore? They were funny! What about your superhero speech?"

Gohan blushed, laughing nervously as he scratched his spiky hair. "I thought you hated them?"

"I never said I _hated_ them, I said they were ridiculous and lame."

"Doesn't sound that much better."

"Oh come on, you can't be serious. The poses and speech are like Saiyaman's trademark," Videl pouted, crossing her arms for emphasis. Gohan burst out laughing and soon she joined him, unable to keep a straight face.

"Still," she resumed when their laughter died down. "I did like your routine. And it even served to distract the criminals, too, like you know, when they were gaping at you."

"You're just enjoying teasing me now, aren't you?" the young hero said with an embarrassed blush.

"That too, I admit."

They shared a look and broke out into giggles again, the sound of their laughters resonating in the deserted beach. They eyes wandered aimlessly and a content smile settled on both their faces as they took in the beautiful sight that surrounded them. The waves were calmly crashing to the shore in the background, and the rustling sound of the scarce vegetation lulled them into a state of serenity. And the moon, the stars were an incredible sight, not a single cloud disrupted the dark sky in this autumn night, allowing them to cast their glow on the peaceful ocean.

A chilly breeze ruffled her shirt and Gohan automatically scooted closer to Videl, wrapping his coat around her in an embrace to keep her warm. She wasn't really cold but she didn't mind, and even leaned into him.

"I'm glad to be back," she said softly, closing her eyes. His warmth was making her feel sleepy.

"I'm glad, too," he whispered, and Videl blinked her eyes open as she felt the beating of his heart pick up. Huh. So she wasn't the only one?

Suddenly self conscious of their position, she pulled back from him and straightened herself, a light blush spreading over her cheeks as she twiddled with her thumbs. What was up with her tonight? She was never the shy type, let alone the blushing type; did her death mess up with her head somehow, or something?

"Aren't you cold?" he asked in concern, rubbing his hands along her sleeved arms.

"Not really," she muttered. Chancing a glance at him, her throat tightened when he smiled down at her. Why was he looking at her so... so... She didn't even know how to describe it. But there was that twinkle in his onyx eyes, and it made her feel so... vulnerable—and yet so special. Why was he looking at her like that?

"What time is it by the way?" she asked randomly, trying to distract her mind from these confusing thoughts. She grabbed his left wrist and hiked up the sleeve of his coat to check his watch, anything to stop thinking of his overwhelming presence.

But her eyes widened and she gasped when she saw the hour displayed on the tiny screen.

"It's already past two!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Oh wow, really?" He brought his arm up to see it for himself, letting out a nervous chuckle as he, in turn, saw the hour. "Time flies, huh?"

She cracked a smile, "Tell me about it. We better get going... won't your mom freak out though?"

His eyes widened in realization and dread, and Videl laughed slightly as she got up, holding out her hand to him. He took it even though he didn't need the help, and stood up as well.

"I'll fly you home then," he said.

"Such a gentleman," she teased. "Well, if you insist. Let's go then."

Still holding hands, they took off to the night sky together and flew back into the city. Gohan chuckled slightly to himself.

"I still can't get over the fact that you can fly."

"Why's that?" she inquired, a grin stretching out her lips. "It didn't take me that long to learn, either, though your dad isn't really good at explaining. Good thing King Kai was there."

Gohan sniggered, picturing his father just showing her and expecting her to do the same—which was exactly what had actually happened.

"I guess I just really didn't expect it," he replied with a shrug.

They continued to talk about this and that as they flew towards Videl's home. At this late hour of the night hardly anyone would be wandering in the streets and even if they did, it was too dark to see anything from down there. So the pair kept on flying without a worry, their smiles never wavering.

Soon enough, the imposing mansion came into view, and shortly after the two landed by the gates, reluctant to part ways already even though they had spent hours together tonight.

"So..." Gohan started.

"I guess I'll see you around?" Videl finished for him. "School starts back soon anyways, right?"

"Yeah."

The silence became awkward, somehow. To think they had been talking and laughing for hours on that beach as well as while flying back; why couldn't they find something to say now, all of a sudden?

"Oh, right, I almost forgot," Videl suddenly said.

Gohan tilted his head in confusion—and then froze slightly when Videl got on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him close.

"It's from your dad," she whispered; and just as she was about to pull away, Gohan wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly against him.

His heart was beating frantically as they stayed like this for a while, so deliciously close. His senses became soaked with her beautiful scent, his head dizzy with the fresh smell of peaches that tinted her raven locks. He didn't hold back, wouldn't hold back now. She was there, in his arms, and he just couldn't think straight while her soft, small body was all pressed up against him. He _loved_ her, dammit. He loved her too much, he just couldn't let her go just yet.

He was almost trembling when they started to pull back, and then her eyes shyly met with his own—her beautiful, stunning, bright blue eyes—and he just stopped breathing altogether. He just... he couldn't resist anymore. His gaze fell on her rosy lips, his heart pounding loudly against his ears, and his mind went blank.

His hand cupped her cheek, his breathing becoming heavy. He wanted to taste her lips, he wanted to kiss her senselessly, passionately, avidly; he wanted to show her just how much she meant to him, how much he needed her, how hopelessly in love he was with her.

He had to kiss her. Right now.

Gohan started to lean over, tilting her head upwards with a gentle touch. He closed his eyes and slowly dipped closer—and then he felt her breath hitch and her body tense against him.

He stopped.

"G... Gohan...?"

Her voice was nervous, unsure. _Oh, my god... What am I doing?_

He pulled away from her abruptly, horrified by what he had been about to do, by his lack of self control. What was he _doing_? What was _wrong_ with him? He was supposed to wait for her to be ready, not lose control and almost...

He didn't even dare to glance at her as he muttered his goodbye and took off to the sky in a rush.

Dammit! How could he be so stupid!

* * *

_February 11th, 2014-_


	5. It Was Not Anticipated

That… That was love, wasn't it? There wasn't just friendship between them like he'd assumed—it was definitely love.

And from what Goku could see, Gohan had it pretty bad.

He felt pretty dumb now; the notion hadn't even crossed his mind even though he'd spent all these months getting to know Videl—perhaps because in his mind, Gohan was still his ten year old son that he'd had to leave behind. In fact, this was the very first time Goku had been able to see him since he died, years ago—seven years had passed, it seemed. His son was a man now. And he'd fallen in love.

It had taken a whole lot of convincing on his part to get King Kai to let him have a peek at how Videl was doing now that she was back in the living world. And sure, he'd hoped he'd also get to see Gohan along the way, however slim the chance had been. But no, King Kai wouldn't let him, ranting about how it was against the rules and that it wasn't their business anymore. But Goku could see that the Kai was as curious as him to see how Videl was doing, after all they'd both grown quite attached to the young woman in the months she'd spent in the planet of Kais with them. So he didn't give up—giving up wasn't like him anyway.

"Aw come on King Kai, please? It's just this once, I promise! Please, King Kai? Pleeeeaaaaaase?"

A vein of fury pulsed at the blue creature's temple. It wasn't quite encouraging, but Goku had always been the optimistic type. Surely King Kai would eventually relent, right?

"Pretty please, pleeeeeeaaaaaaaase, King Kai? Please, please, pretty please? With a cherry on top?"

Goku didn't think it'd been that much to ask; King could have complied more easily, really. OK, so it kind of broke a few rules of the Other World and blah blah blah, but it was stupid anyway. Honestly, why should it matter? It wasn't like it was the first time King Kai communicated with the world of the living, too. It really wasn't that big of a deal.

"Pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—"

"Oh for heaven's sake, Goku! Shut the hell up!" King Kai snapped, fuming at his extremely annoying "star pupil". "Fine!" he spat, his antennas moving forward to search for Videl on Earth. "Just grab my shoulder and stop pestering me already!"

Goku needed not to be told twice. Smiling excitedly, he quickly did as he was told and closed his eyes. Soon, an image appeared in his mind.

It was night, and very late it seemed, for the streets of the city were pretty much deserted. Two figures were flying leisurely above the streetlights, hand in hand. There was Videl, and his now seventeen year old son.

Gohan looked so huge, even more so while being next to Videl. The Saiyan idly wondered whether the young man his son had become, was actually taller than him now. Goku then smiled to himself, observing how, indeed, Gohan and he looked a lot alike, recalling how it was this resemblance that caused Videl to mention his son when they'd met.

Goku had seen them land in front of Videl's house—though "castle" seemed more like it, to tell the truth—and chuckled to himself at Gohan's awkwardness; he'd always been pretty shy, that Gohan. Then, Videl hugged his son—on his behalf, like he'd asked her before she was to be brought back. His content grin subsided somewhat, however, and his eyebrows rose up in surprise at the unanticipated turn of events. He could see the way Gohan was hugging her back. And then—

He's going to kiss her! Goku realized, his smile naturally returning. You go, Gohan! Kiss her! He cheered inwardly, excited and happy for his son.

But Gohan suddenly stopped midway, pulled away abruptly and awkwardly left in a hurry.

"Well you've seen enough," decided King Kai, cutting off the telepathic link. Goku blinked his eyes open, pondering on what he'd just seen.

Gohan loved Videl. Goku couldn't really tell how Videl felt about his son, but it was pretty obvious how Gohan felt about her, even for the usually dense Saiyan. But then—

"Why didn't he kiss her?" he mumbled to himself in wonder.

King Kai shrugged in false disinterest. "It's none of our business. Now let's go back to training; didn't you want to try using heavier weights?"

Still in deep thought, Goku absentmindedly followed after the blue-skinned Kai. However, the loud growl of his pit-hole of a stomach made them pause, and his usual shameless grin was back in a heartbeat.

"Can we grab something to eat first? I'm starving!"

"When are you not?" King Kai muttered to himself, shaking his head at the—supposedly—grown man's antics.

Something felt... off, in her chest. Her heart was beating like crazy, frantically; it was pounding too fast, too hard... it was actually painful. Videl stood there for some time, in front of the gates of her home. She couldn't exactly tell how long she stayed there, rooted on the spot and staring off at the night sky, at the very spot Gohan had fled in such a hurry.

It had happened so fast... she wasn't even sure what actually happened. Was he really about to kiss her? But then he just left, and it was so quick that it didn't even register in her mind. Could she have imagined it all? Could she have misunderstood his intentions? Maybe it wasn't what he meant to do at all, maybe they just ended up that close by accident. Maybe he just felt embarrassed and so he left.

But could that really be it?

She couldn't forget the way he'd held her, nor could she forget how wonderful it had felt to be in his arms. She couldn't unsee the way he had looked at her—his eyes, his pitch black eyes, staring at her with such intensity that it still gave her goosebumps just thinking of it.

And then, his hand on her cheek. His face getting closer. His eyelids sliding shut. The rush of blood to her head. The anticipation, the expectation, but also the confusion and uncertainty. His warmth leaving her. His figure disappearing into the sky.

She felt so confused.

And then Videl shook her head swiftly, her eyes tightly shut. She had died and come back to life; this was her second chance, and she wanted to make the most of her new life. Feeling lost and confused wasn't part of the plan. And so she turned around and opened the gates, walked along the pathway, unlocked the front door with her new set of keys and got inside the mansion.

As Videl looked around, at the tall ceiling, the expensive furniture, the luxurious decoration, she couldn't help smiling. All of this used to annoy her; it was too much, she used to say; too "flashy". But she'd missed this. However it looked, this was her home, and she really did miss it.

She heard steps coming from upstairs, and moments later her father walked down to her, wearing his robe and yawning.

"You're finally back," he said sleepily. "So what was this thing you needed to do that took you so long?"

Her face heated up and she started to stammer, her thoughts fatally going back to Gohan. Trying not to think about him was already hard enough, and it wasn't helping that she was being reminded of him mere minutes after he'd gone and left her confused and breathless.

Embarrassed at her stupid reaction, Videl mumbled something intelligible, but finally managed a "goodnight" and rushed past her sleepy father to go upstairs and to her bedroom. Luckily her dad had left it as it was and the maids had kept it clean all those months.

Keen to go to sleep on her own bed, she took out her pj's and took off the clothes King Kai made for her before she left the Other World—a purple shirt over a brown turtle neck, a pair of jeans and gray boots. He'd made them extra warm since it was November, so while most people needed to wear a coat to go outside at this time of the year, she had been fine with just these.

She looked at the clothes fondly, remembering her time up there. She'd even been able to see her mom again, in heaven; although, it was actually her soul that had the form of her appearance, but that didn't matter. The girl had spent a lot of her time with her mother, and even now she couldn't believe how lucky she was to have been able to do that. Whenever she wasn't training under King Kai and Goku, she would go to see her mom and spend time with her, and it really was heaven. Training there had also been pretty awesome, and Videl would have never imagined getting so strong in such a short time. Not to mention she got to know so many selfless warriors, such interesting stories—and of course, she got to hear about all of Goku's adventures, which were the most interesting in her opinion. But most of all, she finally got the answers she'd wanted for so long since she met the mysterious Son Gohan.

Getting to bed, Videl sighed to herself. No matter what she did to distract her mind, it always seemed to go back to Gohan. Why couldn't she think of something without having him suddenly pop in her head?

And why had this lingering feeling of disappointment still not left her since he suddenly took off?

It was only when he flew above the mountain area he lived in that Gohan stopped berating himself, and remembered the way he'd left home earlier. He cringed, thinking of how he'd just straight out ignored his mother, how he'd just gone outside and taken off, without so much as a look back. Hopefully his mother would be understanding and not ground him too hard. After all, he'd been pretty shocked to see Videl again all of a sudden, and on the news, at that.

And then he thought of the way he'd just left the girl in question. He just wanted to punch himself in the face. Not only did he almost screw things up between them, but he couldn't even tell her "bye" properly. She must be completely freaked out; he knew he was. What on earth had gone through his head when he had been about to kiss her? How could he do something so foolish? He'd already made up his mind not to rush things between them, to give her all the time she needed to adapt back into life before attempting anything of that kind. And yet, that resolution crumbled into nothing in less than an instant. All it took was a simple, friendly hug from her.

Dammit, this was proving much harder than he'd thought. His love for her was just too strong, uncontrollable. Unpredictable. How was he supposed to resist when all he wanted was grab her and hold her close and kiss her senselessly.

"Ugh," he groaned, gritting his teeth. He was so pissed at himself. How could he have this little self control? How was he supposed to be her friend when all he could think about was what her lips tasted like?

He spotted the little house, and as he'd predicted the lights were still on in the living room. Sighing to himself, Gohan got ready to land.

When he slowly opened the front door, his mother, who had been waiting on him sitting in the couch with an empty cup in her hands, immediately rushed to him and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

"How are you feeling?" Chichi asked him when she pulled back slightly, holding his face in her hands to look in his eyes.

"I'm… fine?" he said hesitantly, pretty confused by this unexpected situation. He'd figured his mother would yell at him and scold him once he got home.

"Oh, my poor baby." She hugged him tightly once again, and Gohan patted her back uncertainly. What was up with his mom tonight?

After a while, she ushered him to bed, telling him not to wake Goten and that they would talk in the morning. Gohan didn't quite know what to make of this, but he was glad that he didn't get scolded at and didn't want to press his luck. He whispered good night to his mom and went to his and Goten's bedroom.

But once he was lying on his futon in the darkness, sleep was the last thing on his mind. Even his little brother's soft breathing didn't succeed into lulling him to sleep like usual. He just couldn't stop thinking that he'd screwed up with Videl, that he had no idea how to act with her, or how he was going to keep his feelings locked in if that was even possible. He wanted to be her friend, he wanted to give her time, but he wanted her even more.

Dammit, he thought angrily. I'm completely hopeless.

He'd had to search a lot for Baba; the tiny fortuneteller had a very small power level to focus on, and afterlife was a huge place to look around. But he finally made it, ending up asking King Enma where he could find her, and found her in some weird coffee shop among some demon workers. When she'd spotted him, he didn't have any trouble getting her outside to ask for a favor.

"Why didn't you ask King Kai to let you see your family on Earth?" she asked him, looking genuinely confused. Goku frowned.

"But he said he can't," he explained, "that there's rules in the Other World forbidding him to let the Dead communicate with the world of living… What's so funny?"

Out of the blue the tiny witch started laughing her head off, crouched over and holding her stomach, unable to stop. Then she started coughing loudly, her eyes bulging as she hit her chest several times. Goku was getting worried about her well-being - she wasn't going to die now of all times, was she? - but she finally calmed down.

"What was so funny?" he asked again, and Baba had a fit of giggles again. She eventually calmed down enough to answer him.

"There are no such rules, Goku," she told him. "King Kai made that up."

Silence.

"... What?" He must've heard wrong. Surely King Kai wouldn't do something so cruel to him.

"I can't believe you still haven't figured it out," she said giggling to herself. "I think King Kai himself didn't think you would be fooled for that long. I guess he just went along with it since you wouldn't catch up on it."

"... All this time? All these years?" He couldn't believe it. To think he could've watched Gohan grow up and see how everyone was doing after his death! How could King Kai do something so… so… unfair and mean! How could he do this to him? Was this how he was being thanked for saving the world countless times, and not to mention the whole universe?

"I can't believe it!"

The next thing Baba knew, Goku vanished out of sight, too upset to remember the request he'd asked of her. Ah, well, now that the cat was out of the bag, King Kai will have to let him see how his close ones were doing from now on.

It didn't take her long to have another fit of giggles. And then she just burst out laughing. Goku was so gullible, it was absolutely hilarious.


	6. It's Time to Wake Up

King Kai gave out a startled yelp, and if it weren't for his good reflexes he would've lost his balance and fallen backwards. Goku had appeared right in front of him out of nowhere, literally, and the man did not look happy.

"How could you lie to me all this time, King Kai?" Goku said reproachfully. "Why did you make me believe I wasn't allowed to watch over my family? What did I ever do to you?"

"Now that's just rich," scoffed North Kai. "You got a _god_ killed, that's what you did, Goku! Did you think something as serious as the death of a Kai would go unpunished?"

Goku frowned. "I didn't have a choice. It was the only way to save—"

"To save the Earth," finished the blue-skinned divinity. "Yeah, I know. But that's just it, Goku. The Earth is just one planet in the whole universe, and it's sad to say but worlds blowing up isn't really uncommon – take planet Vegeta for instance, or planet Namek. I had to take care of the all of the North part of the universe, not just the Earth. My death isn't to take lightly, Goku."

"But you still do that," countered Goku, still feeling betrayed and upset with his mentor despites his valid reasons. "It's not like anything's changed since you died. You still watch over your part of the universe and you still do what you've always been doing. There's just a halo over your head now."

"And I'm the laughing stock of the other Kais because of it!" sputtered King Kai indignantly.

"So you decided to trick me into believing I was forbidden to watch over my loved ones to get back at me? For revenge, just because you're getting laughed at? Do you realize I've missed all of Gohan's childhood? He's already a man now and all this time I could have watched him grow up! _I've missed seven years of his life_!" Goku bellowed the last part, downright pissed off. And for the first time, King Kai was glad he was already dead – at least he couldn't be killed again. Well, not quite as easily anyway.

"I didn't think you were going to believe it for so long," he explained. "You were supposed to figure it out long ago; it's not my fault you were so slow to catch on."

"You should've told me earlier then!" retorted Goku. "You should've let me see my family and friends when I was asking you – and I kept asking you, too! You've had lots of opportunities to let me see them, but you didn't!"

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry," exclaimed the Kai. He wasn't feeling quite safe with the way Goku's _ki_ was spiking up; the wind was even rising around the tall warrior, rustling his orange outfit and wild, black hair. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, OK? Sheesh." He let out a sigh. "Here, grab my shoulder, I'll let you see your family."

Goku narrowed his eyes at the shorter man, but didn't need to be told twice. He got behind King Kai and placed his palm on his shoulder, his eyes falling shut while an image formed behind his closed lids.

It was early morning in Mount Paozu, and Goku felt a pang in his heart as he caught sight of his beloved wife, busying herself in the kitchen and making breakfast. Oh, how he'd missed seeing her – and he wished he could taste some of her cooking, too. Chichi was such an amazing cook; the Other World's food paled in comparison.

He noticed she looked a bit different. She no longer had her bangs and her bun looked tighter than usual. It suited her, he mused. She looked just as beautiful as he remembered.

"Mommy I'm hungry!"

His heart all but stopped. A little boy, his exact replica when he was a kid actually, had come to the kitchen and hugged Chichi's leg, the way Gohan used to when he was little.

"Be patient, Goten. It'll be ready soon," his wife said softly, stroking the little boy's head caringly.

"OK Mom," sighed the child.

 _Goten,_ thought the man, swallowing hard. _I have another son, and his name is Goten._ His heart broke a little – to think the boy would never know him growing up. _He's so cute_ , he thought with a sad smile, watching the little boy suck his thumb while patiently waiting at the table for breakfast to be ready.

"Good morning." And here came Gohan, already dressed and ready for the day as opposed to his brother, who was still wearing his teddy bear pajamas.

It had been so long since he saw his family, Goku felt like he could tear up. Gohan was so big, and Goten was just too cute. And man, how he wished he could hold his wife in his arms again and kiss her.

Sometimes he wondered if staying dead had been the right choice – and looking at his youngest son, he couldn't help feeling that it hadn't. He'd missed so much of their lives, and missed them all so badly. And he knew they missed him, too. But… The Earth was finally in peace now, and for seven years so far. It had been a while since his home planet hadn't had any trouble in such a long period of time. It had to be because he wasn't around anymore, that enemies weren't targeting the Earth now because he wasn't there to attract them.

He wished he could have another chance at life, too. That he could be brought back again, and live with his family, see his friends whenever he liked. Even with the warriors he'd fought here, in afterlife, even with all the adventures he'd had up to now and the ones yet to come, Goku wished he could go back to Earth and be with his loved ones once again.

But the world was finally safe now, and he wasn't about to ruin that. No matter how much he died to see everyone back on Earth again.

* * *

Gohan kissed his mother on the cheek, and she smiled at him over her shoulder. "Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, although that wasn't quite true. He wasn't even sure he'd slept at all last night – maybe two, three hours at most. In times like these Gohan was glad for his Saiyan genes. Since Saiyans were made to be warriors, it was only natural that their bodies could handle sleepless nights with little to no trouble.

The family had breakfast like usual, and everything seemed normal. Gohan couldn't help feeling a little nervous however; he knew he needed to talk to his mother about Videl, and the boy wasn't quite sure how she would take the news. Last night he'd been pretty sure she was going to scold him for leaving so abruptly, but he couldn't have been more wrong; there was no telling how his mom could react to anything anymore.

Chichi sent Goten off to play outside, and then she got up and prepared some tea, humming to herself quietly. Gohan sat there, fidgeting nervously and waiting for her to finish.

Once both of their cups were set on the table and Chichi sat back in her seat, she smiled at her son and reached over to hold his hand.

"So, tell me. What happened to Videl?" she asked in a soft voice.

Gohan swallowed. _Here goes nothing…_

And so he told her everything he knew. That Videl did die in that fire, and she went to the Other World and was allowed to keep her body as a reward for her good deeds. That she was brought to the planet of Kais, where she met King Kai, as well as Goku.

He paused, letting the information sink in. His mother was staring at him, her mouth half open, her eyes reflecting her surprise and conflicted emotions.

"She met Goku?" she whispered, sounding breathless. Gohan nodded.

"And she could tell he was related to me, since we look alike, so she asked him if he knew me," continued Gohan.

"I see," Chichi said thoughtfully, nodding her head. "But then, why was she brought back only now? And how come we weren't told that they were going to use the Dragon Balls to bring her back to life?"

"Ah, yeah, about that…"

Gohan remembered asking the same thing to Videl, last night. Her answer hadn't been quite what he expected.

" _I wanted to get back at you for lying to me so much," she said, smirking at him with her arms crossed. "So I asked if it would be OK not to tell you about my return, and Goku didn't mind."_

" _Well that's…" Gohan started, but then he sighed. "I guess that's fair enough. I did lie to you."_

" _Continuously," she added with a grin._

" _Right," he replied, chuckling. "Well, I'm sorry I've lied to you."_

" _And I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was coming back," she said in turn, her blue eyes twinkling in mirth. She held out her hand to him. "Now we're even."_

_He shook her hand, playing along – but didn't let go right away, his fingers tightening around her small, slender hand. "Yeah, we are," he said softly._

"It's because I lied to her a lot. She wanted to get back at me for that," he explained to his mom. "And she wasn't brought back before because she simply didn't think of asking. She told me it was Dad who eventually offered to use the Dragon Balls for her, because she died so young."

Her cup now empty, Chichi let out a sigh. "So this was your father's doing, huh." She cracked a smile, staring at her hands around the ceramic cup without really seeing them, a wistful look on her face. "You know I'm kinda envious of your friend. I wish I could see your father again, even for just a little bit." She let out a soft sigh. "Well, I'm glad all went well in the end – she was way too young to die, indeed."

Gohan nodded. He couldn't agree more. Videl more than deserved her second chance, and he couldn't be happier that she was back and well.

"Mom," he called softly, his head lowered as his cheeks reddened. "How do you… well… How do you stay in control when you… when you love someone?"

He'd whispered the last part, knowing full well that his mother would figure out who he was talking about. But he needed help. So he ignored the burning feeling on his face and glanced at his mom. And sure enough, she visibly understood the real meaning of his question.

"You… love Videl?"

He avoided her eyes in embarrassment and nodded his head, his whole face taking on a deep shade of red. "I've realized it last night. But I…" he let out a deep sigh. "I can't possibly make a move on her, can I? She's only just been brought back. I have to give her time before I do anything about—about my feelings."

Damn, this was hard. He felt so awkward talking about it to his mom, of all people. Unfortunately, she was the only one available right now, except if he ever wished to be given advice to by a seven-year-old boy.

"Well, I see where you're coming from," Chichi said, looking thoughtful. "But I don't think it'd be so bad if you told her now, either. Do you think she feels the same for you?"

He was glad, though, that his mom wasn't teasing him or anything. He knew if he had asked, let's say, Krillin or Bulma, they would have teased him quite a bit before finally answering him, that was for sure. At least his mom wasn't like that.

"I… I honestly don't know." Gohan sighed deeply, feeling a bit dejected. "I mean, I think she might, but I really have no idea."

"Hmm…" Chichi's brows furrowed in deep thoughts. "Well, did she blush around you? Did she look happy whenever she would look at you?"

"Uh… I guess…?" he said, unsure. "But it was pretty cold last night, so she probably wasn't really blushing…" Gohan let out yet another sigh, and stood up. "Ah, well. Nevermind. I'll figure something out."

"How about you invite her over for dinner?" suggested Chichi. "If I can watch how she is with you, I should be able to see it for myself."

"Well… I don't know," replied Gohan, hesitant. After he'd almost kissed Videl last night, he wasn't sure seeing her again so soon would be such a good idea. Lest he lost control with her again.

"Oh, and it'll be so nice to have her over," his mother went on, getting up and putting their cups away. "And besides, I'd like to meet her. She was the last person to have seen your father; I'd like to hear her talk about him."

Gohan gulped. He hated it when his mother manipulated him like that. But even though he knew very well that she was making him feel guilty on purpose to have it her way, Gohan also knew that she was right. Videl should meet his family and tell them about his father. He was pretty sure Goten would be overjoyed to hear about their dad, too.

"Alright then. I'll invite her over to have dinner with us."

If only he knew how to say no.

* * *

That same morning, all the way over to Satan City, Videl had been woken up by a very hyper Erasa. And she'd felt just as excited the moment she saw her best friend again.

"Oh, my god Erasa! You have no idea how much I've missed you," exclaimed Videl, all but jumping on the pretty blonde and hugging her tightly.

And just like that, Erasa forgave her for not giving her a call last night. She figured Videl must've had a good reason for that, too. And damn it she was finally seeing Videl again after she'd believed her to be dead! There was no time for petty feelings – she'd missed her best friend too much to mind anymore.

Once they pulled away and Videl got up to get dressed, Erasa decided it was time to bring up the question she'd been dying to ask since last night.

"So," she started, making herself comfortable on Videl's bed. "I heard you had a sort of meeting last night after your press conference. Care to elaborate?"

Luckily for Videl, she was showing her back to her blonde friend and so her blushing face stayed hidden. "It wasn't a meeting. I just figured Saiyaman would want to talk with me and waited for him."

"Whoa now wait a minute," said Erasa, standing up to move closer to Videl. "You mean to tell me that you were with _Saiyaman_ last night?"

"Yeah," replied Videl, fumbling in her walk-in closet to look for something to wear. It was only a half truth, but it was always better than a straight-out lie. "He came like I'd expected and we talked."

"Oh really? You just _talked_?" pressed on Erasa in a suggestive way. It caused Videl to roll her eyes through her blushing cheeks – if Erasa knew that Saiyaman, AKA Gohan might have attempted to kiss her last night she wouldn't ever hear the end of it. And besides, she wasn't even sure that it was actually what happened.

"Yes, Erasa. I just filled him in and he did the same for me. Nothing more, nothing else."

"And it took you hours?" said Erasa doubtfully. "I came here last night with Sharpner, and it was pretty late but you still weren't back. Come on, I know something must have happened; please, please, please you have to tell me!"

"Maybe someday," Videl said, shooting her a smirk. Erasa groaned, but figured it was better than nothing.

As Videl was getting ready, Erasa told her about the months she'd missed while she'd been "away". She admitted with an embarrassed blush that she and Sharpner had gotten closer while they believed Videl to be dead; he'd become more protective of her, and she'd started to find it cute and attractive. And so they'd kind of started dating. More or less.

"More or less?" repeated Videl, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I guess we never made it quite clear…" said Erasa, playing with her short locks. She needed to go to a hair salon soon, she mused distractedly, noticing that her hair had gotten longer.

"How long has it been going on?" inquired Videl, now fully dressed and sitting on her bed beside Erasa.

"A couple months I guess? But don't worry, things are going pretty well between us. I'm more worried about Gohan, to be honest."

Now that was something she didn't expect. "How come?"

"Well, ever since your funeral, he kinda distanced himself from everyone at school," explained Erasa. "He would sit alone during class as well as at lunch, and just stopped hanging out with us… Well, with anyone, really. I guess it kinda contributed to me and Sharpner getting closer, but I really feel bad for him. I think your death – well supposed death – affected him more than most."

Videl felt like a sharp knife stabbed her heart. She could just see him, distancing himself from everyone because he didn't want to get involved with anyone else again. Because the foolish boy felt guilty of her death, and didn't want to cause any more pain to anyone else, or to himself for that matter. What a stupid, stupid thing to do. It was so heartbreaking – and yet so like Gohan.

Good thing she'd managed to put some sense into that thick head of his last night. Hopefully now he was going to hang out with them again and live his high school life to its fullest – heck, if he wasn't going to, she would just have to force him out of his self-imposed solitude.

"I'll take care of it," declared Videl with such conviction that it somewhat surprised Erasa. "I'll make him if I have to. I'm not going to let him stay like that; you can count on me, Erasa."

The other girl chuckled, smirking deviously. "My, my, aren't you passionate about our dear ol' Gohan…"

Videl couldn't help it: her face flared up at the insinuation, and this time Erasa saw it perfectly. "I just don't like that he's been all by himself all that time," she said in an attempt to justify herself. Well, it was the truth anyway.

"Uh-huh, I'm sure that's all it is," nodded Erasa, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Erasaaaa…" complained the brunette, her face bright red at this point. She put both her hands over it in an attempt to hide her deep blush. But it was already too late.

Luckily, after some more teasing from Erasa, the doorbell rang and Videl used that as an excuse to leave her room and go see who was at the door. Of course, one of the maids would get to the front door well before her, but at least she was getting away from Erasa's constant teasing about Gohan – like she needed to be reminded of how close they'd been to kissing, last night.

Well, it seemed like she wasn't about to forget about it any time soon – the very cause of her blush was standing in the parlor. Just when her cheeks were finally cooling down, too.

"Um… Hey, Videl," Gohan said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

And it wasn't helping that the guy looked absolutely adorable, either.

* * *

_March 17th, 2014-_


	7. It Has To Wait, For Now

"Haven't you seen enough already?" complained King Kai. "We've been watching them for hours!"

"I thought time didn't matter in afterlife," retorted Goku. Granted, he should probably leave King Kai alone for now but he was still pretty upset at the god for tricking him for so long.

"Yeah, well, I'm a Kai and I have duties to attend to, I can't stay here with you all the time," said King Kai, cutting off the link to Earth abruptly.

Goku pouted. "I wanna see them some more," he pretty much whined.

"Then why don't you ask Baba to let you use her crystal ball or something?" suggested the Kai. "I should get going."

"For what, your daily nap?" muttered Goku under his breath as King Kai walked away.

"I heard that!"

The Saiyan grinned. Ah, well. He was already glad he had been able to see his loved ones for a bit. After watching his dear family for a while, he was able to see what his friends had been up to for all these years. Krillin turned out to have hair, and a lot of it too – that'd been quite a shock. Moreover, Krillin had actually married Android 18, and they even had a daughter together! He sure didn't see that one coming. Marron was a really cute little girl, with her mother's blonde hair and Krillin's brown eyes. She looked to be about two or three years old, though he couldn't be sure seeing as he was never good at guessing ages.

He was also quite surprised when he'd wanted to see what Bulma was up to, and saw that Vegeta was actually living with her and Trunks. He'd seen Vegeta train Trunks, who was now a tough little guy, in the gravity room. Vegeta had a family – it felt so strange to think of the proud Saiyan Prince as a family man. He'd watched the three them have breakfast together. Once he got over the shock, Goku was very happy for them. Bulma seemed to really care a lot about Vegeta, and considering the latter was still around, Vegeta must care for Bulma and Trunks, too. Although, Goku still couldn't get over the fact that Bulma didn't marry Yamcha in the end, but well, that wasn't really his business.

Speaking of Yamcha, the former bandit went back to live in the desert where they'd first met all those years ago, and of course Puar was with him since he'd never leave his side. He was a baseball star; Goku had seen him practice for an upcoming match. The scar-faced man seemed to enjoy himself, which Goku was glad for.

Next, he'd checked on Tien and Chiaotzu, who lived far away from everyone, way up in the mountains of the North. Launch was still chasing after Tien all over the world, and she was actually still robbing banks! That'd made him laugh, and Goku truly hoped she'd catch up with Tien someday. He fully intended to keep checking up on that.

He'd already seen and talked to Dende, Piccolo and Mr. Popo when he asked them to look for the Dragon Balls and wish Videl back, but nonetheless Goku wanted to see what they were up to. Piccolo was meditating, no changes there. Dende was naturally watching over the Earth, discussing with Mr. Popo every now and again. The garden was as beautiful as ever, thanks to Mr. Popo's talent at gardening. Goku was glad, really, that all was peaceful on Earth. It made his choice to stay dead a whole lot easier.

Well, as of now, Goku figured he'd sat around for long enough; he'd go find Baba again later. For now, he wanted a good workout. Maybe Pikkon would be up for a spar…

* * *

Aahh… He felt so nervous. She didn't respond to his greeting, just kept looking up at him. Was that… a blush, across her face? His heart began drumming hopefully as he recalled his mother's inquiries earlier. Was Videl blushing because of him? Maybe… Maybe…

Shaking his head swiftly, Gohan took a few steps towards her, reminding himself that he was not to act upon his feelings for now. Besides, he came to see her for a specific reason.

"How are you?" he asked softly, standing a short, but reasonable, distance from her. "Did you sleep well?"

She blinked, smiled sheepishly and nodded her head. God, why must she be so adorably beautiful?

"Yeah. It feels a little different… You know, than when I was up there."

"A good or a bad different?" he asked, his head tilted to the side with a small, amused smile.

She shrugged, walking past him to sit down on a sofa. Gohan found himself staring as she crossed her legs. He quickly looked down, focusing his attentions on his shoes.

"I don't know," she replied, making herself comfortable.

He felt her gaze on him and fidgeted nervously, his hand automatically shooting up to scratch the itch at the back of his head. His face felt hot, and his heart still hadn't calmed down. Was it always going to beat like crazy whenever he was around Videl? Was it ever going to beat steadily ever again? Right now, it certainly didn't seem like it.

"Are you going to stay standing or what?" she asked playfully, making Gohan look up at her. She was smirking, an eyebrow raised in amusement. Gohan smiled back mildly, and cautiously settled down on the sofa, keeping a safe distance between them.

"Oh, hi Gohan!" exclaimed a cheerful voice.

They both looked up towards Erasa, who walked through the same door Videl had, moments ago. Well, it shouldn't be a surprise that Videl's best friend had come to see her first thing in the morning, but Gohan still felt taken aback by her sudden appearance. It certainly made asking Videl to have dinner with his family a whole lot harder, though.

"Uhm… Hi, Erasa," he replied, standing up to greet her properly.

"How nice of you to visit Videl from so far away," she said, a devious glint in her eye.

Gohan blushed deeply. He couldn't help it. It seemed like such a harmless comment, and even though it didn't actually take him long to fly to Satan City from Mount Paozu, somehow it was making him self-conscious about coming to see Videl.

After she died, all those months ago, he'd been keeping to himself, avoiding anyone who would try to get close. He'd shut Erasa and Sharpner out, had changed his seat in class to be left alone, had stopped talking to anyone at school, only responding to teachers. And yet here he was, coming to see Videl early in the morning. Like he couldn't believe it and had to see her as soon as possible. Obviously Erasa didn't know that he'd done just that the night before, unable to wait for another second to go see Videl in person.

He was scratching the back of his head again, and then sat back down on the sofa, keeping his stare on his knees.

Erasa walked over and sat in a random chair, to his left, while Videl was on his right. He could feel the latter watching him again, and his face heated up despite himself.

"Well, I'm glad you're not isolating yourself anymore," commented Erasa, and Gohan thought he felt a hint of hurt in her tone. He winced slightly, feeling guilty of the way he'd been to his friends the past months.

He didn't reply, didn't really know what to say.

"Well anyways," Videl said, clearing her throat slightly. "Did you want to tell me something in particular?"

"Well I…" He hesitated, glancing sideways at Erasa. He couldn't possibly ask Videl to come over for dinner with him and his family in front of the bubbly, gossipy blonde. It would seem weird, and Erasa would ask questions. He didn't think Videl told her about what actually happened to her, and if she didn't know Erasa wouldn't understand why it was important for Videl to meet his mother and little brother. He let out a sigh, scratching his hair again.

"Erasa, could you leave us for a moment?" asked Videl, turning to Erasa. Gohan sent her a grateful smile, glad that she'd understood his reluctance to talk in front of the blond-haired girl.

"Sure…" said Erasa, looking a bit disappointed, and stood up. "I guess you don't want me around when you confess to Gohan, hm?"

"ERASA!"

Both Videl and Gohan had cried out her name at the same time, in shock and embarrassment, their faces turning very, very red. The blonde in question ducked under the pillow Videl threw at her, sending them a smug smirk as she skipped her way out.

"Don't mind her," said Videl, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "She just loves to tease me for no reason."

"Yeah. People are like that with me, too," he replied absent-mindedly, purposely avoiding Videl's eye.

 _For no reason_ , she'd said. Somehow, the simple expression hurt more that he expected.

"That's because it's too easy to get you flustered," she said with a smirk. "And really fun, too."

"Well, Erasa obviously thinks the same about you," he retorted playfully, hoping that his blush wasn't too obvious.

"Speaking of which, what was it about you distancing yourself from everyone at school?" she asked reproachfully, frowning at him. "You never said anything about that, last night."

Last night. He got even redder and stubbornly didn't look at her. _Last night._ The only thing he could think of about last night, was how he'd been so close to kissing her. How her small, soft body had felt, pressed up against his as they hugged, how he'd been basking in her scent, in the sensation of holding her close, so very close. Of her eyes, looking up at him shyly when they pulled away. Of himself, unable to let her go. Of his need, his urge to kiss her.

A lump rose to his throat as the memory of that fleeting moment was all he could think of. He glanced at Videl, anxiously. She looked the other way before he caught her eye, playing with her hair which was pulled up in a ponytail, like last night. He remembered how many times he'd itched to brush away her bangs from her eyes, while they sat together on the beach.

She looked somewhat nervous, too. Was she thinking of the same thing? Oh man, he must have confused the heck out of her when he'd left so abruptly. What must she think of him now? Did she figure out how he felt about her? It was too soon for her to know; although, she acted normal enough until now. Perhaps she had no idea?

Did he really want her to have no idea?

"Well?" she said, bringing him out of his reflection. Right, she asked him a question, didn't she?

"I was hurting," he said rather boldly, looking away when she turned to him. "And I didn't want to involve anyone. And well… I felt guilty."

"Figured as much," she said disapprovingly, and Gohan finally met her eye; he smiled sheepishly, while she frowned at him, her arms crossed against her chest to emphasis her annoyance.

"Well, now you're back, and I don't feel… well, I feel less guilty about all this, things should go back to normal again, right?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean, less guilty? I told you Gohan, nothing about my death was your fault so just stop blaming yourself. _Geez._ "

He cracked a smile, rubbing his hair again. "Fine. I don't feel guilty anymore. Happy now?"

She glared at him, though the hint of a smile twitched the corner of her mouth. "I would be if you weren't lying. Liar."

He laughed slightly, giving her an apologetic look. "Sorry. Can't help how I feel, can I?"

"Well then," she said, turning fully to face him on the sofa, folding a leg under her. "I shall shake your stupid guilt out of you."

He laughed heartily when she moved over to grab his shoulders and started shaking him. It didn't take Videl long to laugh along with him, while she kept on rocking his shoulders back and forth, her own shoulders convulsing from laughter.

"Fine, fine!" he cried out, gasping for air when he couldn't stop his laughing fit, his head bobbing while Videl shook his shoulders. "I surrender!"

"Say it, then!" she demanded, having trouble keeping at it because of her own laughing fit. "Say that you don't blame yourself anymore!"

"I don't! I don't!" he declared hastily, taking hold of Videl's wrists to make her stop. He let out a breath, trying to control his laughter, and grinned wildly. "I don't blame myself," he continued, his voice softer. "It wasn't my fault. Stuff happens."

She giggled, wriggling her wrists for release. He got the message and let go of her right away. They grinned at each other, beaming in mirth and playfulness. Then, without warning, and catching Gohan completely off guard, Videl leaned to him and wrapped her arms around his broad back, resting her cheek against his chest. His face flushed in an instant, but the amusement he felt still lingered, allowing him to wrap his arms around her as well, responding to her hug.

It was just a friendly hug, after all.

"Is this one from my dad, too?" he said softly, with a hint of playfulness.

"No. This one's from me," she replied quietly.

His arms tightened around her, seeming to move on their own accord.

She smelled so nice… He couldn't stop himself leaning in, nuzzling her hair, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply, as her wonderful scent invaded his nostrils. Ah, if only they could just stay like that, never having to let go. If only he could keep her in his arms. If only he could have her to himself – all to himself.

The lump was back up in an instant, constricting his throat and making it hard to breathe. Gohan found himself struggling _not_ to tell Videl just how much he loved her. It was just so tempting, with her snuggled up to him, most likely listening to the drumming of his heartbeats. Her scent was clouding his mind, and the feel of her, and the softness… It was becoming harder and harder to focus and control his bursting feelings, to prevent them from coming out, against his better judgment.

But… he had to wait. He had to give her time. He couldn't impose his feelings upon Videl, when she had only just come back, when she didn't even have time to adjust to life again.

But goddammit, it was just so hard to resist. She was _in his arms_ , for god's sake – this was torture!

"I…" He swallowed. He felt Videl become still, patiently waiting for him to speak. No, no, no. He couldn't tell her. He couldn't. He mustn't. He had to get a grip.

 _GAH!_ His mind screamed in frustration.

"I… I have a… message, from my mom," he ended up saying, mentally sighing in relief. That had been way too close.

Videl looked up at him, her eyebrows raised in apparent surprise. He smiled at her sheepishly, and ordered himself not to let her beautiful eyes draw him in again. He couldn't lose control anymore, however tricky their position was. Nevertheless, Gohan was still reluctant to let go of her just yet, and his arms tightened around her waist, ever so slightly.

"From your mom?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "She wants to invite you over for dinner, tonight. You know, to talk about my dad, and your stay in the other world and all that stuff."

"Oh, yeah… Right. Yeah, sure," she said, with a somewhat nervous smile. "I've heard a lot about her, too. Your dad really misses her, you know. And you too, obviously."

"You should tell her that. It'll make her happy."

Videl swallowed, feeling her face grow hot for some reason. Gohan was smiling at her with such a gentle expression… And his eyes… Once again, she felt like she was the only person who mattered in world, like she was the most special and precious thing to him. Like she was the only one he was seeing.

Her mind wandered back to last night, as they were pulling back from the hug. Him pulling her to him again. His hand on her cheek. The way he looked at her. His warmth.

Her eyes subconsciously landed on his lips. He did try to kiss her last night, didn't he? Could it be that he… that Gohan…?

"When…" She cleared her throat, tearing her stare away from his mouth to look sideways. "When should I come?"

"We usually have dinner at seven. I'll come pick you up at six thirty then, OK?"

She was about to retort that she didn't need to be escorted, but then remembered that she didn't exactly know where Gohan lived. He'd mentioned Mount Paozu, and so had Goku for that matter, but without the address she couldn't really go there by herself.

"Sure. Sounds good."

In the back of her mind, a little voice whispered that she could have simply asked Gohan for his address. She retorted that she didn't want to seem rude, and pushed the annoying little voice back.

Gohan still wasn't letting go of her. Videl felt her face heat up again, for no apparent reason. She decided to let him hold her. She'd been the one to initiate the hug, after all, and she couldn't deny that being held in Gohan's arms felt… Well, it felt really, really nice. His quick heartbeats, thumping against her ear, amused her. He was comfy, and warm, and smelled like fresh wind and trees.

She sighed in content. She really didn't mind him holding her some more. Not at all.

She just hoped Erasa wasn't going to turn up unexpectedly. Last thing she needed would be to give her friend more reasons to tease her about Gohan… She was confused enough about him as it was.

* * *

Soft steps approached. No sign of acknowledgement showed on his expression, however, and Piccolo stayed in the same position, arms and legs crossed, eyelids shut in concentration as he hovered a few feet from the tiled floor. His senses stayed alert, and Dende stopped, still peering over the edge of the Lookout.

"I guess I should've seen it coming," muttered the younger Namek, his cryptic words making Piccolo's pointed ear twitch ever so slightly.

"What is it, Lord Dende?"

Mr. Popo's inquiry was followed by embarrassed stutters, as Dende asked him to stop calling him Lord. Piccolo suppressed a smirk, amused by Dende's humility. The younger Namek might be a god, but he was still a kid.

"It's Gohan," said Dende, answering Mr. Popo's previous question. "He's with Videl."

Piccolo's interest was triggered. After all, Goku had asked them to look for the Dragon Balls and summon Shenlong for that girl; he was bound to be curious about the kind of person she was.

Yet he still didn't move, although he wasn't quite meditating anymore, and focused his hearing on the conversation ahead. It was pretty convenient to be a Namek at times.

"Oh, he must be really happy to see her, isn't he?" said Mr. Popo happily.

A pause. "It's more than that," whispered Dende, as if sharing a secret. "They love each other."

Another pause, and then a loud clap. "That's wonderful!" said Mr. Popo cheerfully. "To think they could have never seen each other again. How lucky that Goku asked us to wish her back."

Piccolo lost interest. He did not want to think about trivial things like human love. Every time he tried to understand love he could feel a headache coming. He had to admit, though, he was quite impressed that Dende was able to recognize it. Although, he could very well be mistaken. Nameks and love didn't make a good combination.

"I don't know," whispered Dende in reply, a hint of anxiousness in his tone. "I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling. It's probably nothing though, right?"

"You shouldn't dismiss your instinct, Dende," said Mr. Popo wisely.

"But…" Dende sighed. "I don't know. I don't even know if it's related to them, or what it could be."

Piccolo felt a trickle of sweat roll down his temple, and it had nothing to do with meditation. A divinity's prediction was not to be taken lightly. Last time the other part of him had one, it'd been about Cell. They did not need another super villain to wreak havoc again. Especially now, he reminded himself, seeing as they'd just used the Dragon Balls for that Videl girl.

Hopefully, whatever bad feeling Dende was having, it wasn't going to be as bad as last time.

* * *

When Erasa went to tell Videl she had to get going, she froze at the doorway of the parlor, and then quickly hid to the side, peering through the open door.

A grin quickly formed on her lips. Why Videl was so adamant to proclaim she and Gohan were just friends, she couldn't understand. Something was obviously going on between them; you didn't hug someone like that if they were only a friend.

She wondered whether Videl was aware of it, though. Her friend, while usually so cunning and smart, was actually pretty clueless about love, and Gohan was even worse. Well, if they needed a push in the right direction, Erasa certainly didn't mind being the one to give them that right push.

She had to be more subtle about it, though. And as much as it pained her, she couldn't just tease Videl about Gohan anymore, as it might only make things more awkward between them. She had to play her cards carefully. Make them realize they should be together, without them noticing what she was doing.

As she gave them one last look, Erasa smirked to herself, and proceeded to show herself to the exit.

It made sense, now she thought about it. The way Gohan had reacted to Videl's supposed death… She remembered, at Videl's funeral, how he'd stood in a corner, looking utterly crushed and depressed, while Mr. Satan had spoken, shakily and tearfully, in his daughter's memory. How Gohan had left before it was over, looking overwhelmed and close to tears.

She'd looked for him afterwards. When she spotted him, she didn't dare show herself. She never told anyone what she'd seen.

Gohan was outside, sitting on the dirty ground and leaning against the wall of the church, his face deeply buried in his hands, his shoulders convulsing. She'd cried, seeing him like that, and as silently as possible had walked away to give him privacy.

She'd wondered, at the time, just how deeply Gohan had cared for Videl. And with a painful pang, she'd mused that she may never know how Videl had felt about him.

Thank god Videl was alive. She felt betrayed, to some extent, seeing as she had mourned her best friend for months when she hadn't really died in the end. But the relief and happiness to see Videl again, alive and well, overpowered anything else. And this time, she wasn't going to let her go, ever again.

After all... If Videl's presumed death taught her anything, it was that life was way too short, and could end in a blink of the eye, just like that. It was scary, but at the same time it felt like a second chance. As if, her life really started now, because she'd realized just how precious it was.

As she walked out through the front doors, and onto the pathway leading to the tall gates, Erasa looked up at the cloudy sky and took a deep breath. A content smile played on her lips as she reached the gates.

It truly felt like life only started now, and it was a wonderful feeling.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this fic for a good while, and although it's not completely written yet, my muse seems to direct me towards it lately so I decided to start publishing it. There are four complete chapters done as of now, and the fifth is halfway done. Like with Innocent Feelings, I'm going to take my time updating the chapters, because I usually take a while to update, unfortunately. I'm sorry in advance for the wait, but I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and that you'll also like what's coming next. Reviews are welcome. =)
> 
> Beta'd by gue22. Special thanks to Boboleta for her great help while I was writing.


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